Another fly with no common name. Do I make a “hoverfly” page which will eventually have 6,000+ photos in it, or a separate page for each species of hoverfly? Decisions, decisions.
Meet Palpada pusilla, a fly in the family Syrphidae. Syrphid flies, (or flower flies, or hoverflies), are generally beneficial pollinators as adults, eating primarily nectar. As larvae they often hunt pestiferous insects like thrips and aphids, making them a valuable asset to your garden. Hoverflies are harmless and neither bite nor sting, despite often mimicking stinging insects like bees.
Hoverflies are found all over the world, except for Antarctica.