Posts Tagged: antennae

Prey for Me

Whenever folks post photos of praying mantids, their readers expect to see prey. You know, the hapless bee or butterfly that made the fatal mistake of getting too close to those spiked forelegs.  This praying mantis (below) appeared to have been a hapless victim of another predator. It,...

A praying mantis perches on a blanketflower, Gaillardia. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A praying mantis perches on a blanketflower, Gaillardia. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Well, hello there! (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Well, hello there! (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Praying mantis startles a honey bee. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Praying mantis startles a honey bee. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A close-up view of an antenna of a praying mantis. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A close-up view of an antenna of a praying mantis. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

If It Looks Like a Duck....

If it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck, and walks like a duck, it's probably a duck. If it looks like a bee, buzzes like a bee, and visits flowers like a bee, it might not be a bee. It could be a fly, or more specifically, a syrphid or flower fly. Syrphids, also known as hover...

Flying in

FLYING IN--A syrphid or flower fly heads for a newly opened cactus blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Knobbed antennae

SYRPHID FLY has a specialized bristle or arista on the end of each antenna. It looks like a knob. In comparison, the honey bee has long antennae bent at a right angle. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Nectaring

NECTARING--A syrphid fly nectars on a cactus blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

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