photos by Greg Hofmann

3/29/2004: With a nod to Muhhamed Ali, this insect "looks like a bee, feeds like a butterfly." In fact it's a Bombyliid (bom-bi-LIE-id) or "bee fly" – in this case a Greater Bee Fly, (Bombylius major). Look closely and you'll see its long beak (or proboscis), through which it drinks nectar. This one is sippingt the nectar of a Pink Flowering Currant (Ribes sanguineum) near the Visitor Center.