Photos: Left: Early spring flower fly, Cydney Ross; Top center: Early Spring Hover Fly, Noppadol Paothong, courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation; Bottom Center: Syrphid Fly_Photo by MDC Staff, courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation; Right: American Witchhazel, Cydney Ross
We’re on the cusp of spring and with days warming up, insects emerge seeking early blooms. We often think of butterflies and bees as pollinators but who else comes out during the occasional warm spring day, to pollinate our earliest blooms? Flies. That’s right, the often-hated insects in a human-based world are the most important pollinator next to bees. Despite their bad PR, they’re the first to emerge in cooler temps providing consistent pollination to herbaceous annuals, perennials, vegetable crops, and even shrubs and trees. Without flies, we wouldn’t have trees that clean the air we breathe, or chocolate, which is good for your soul.
A great example of flies as pollinators is with our midwestern Witch-hazel species (Hamamelis virginiana and Hamamelis vernalis). Though the latter refers to spring (vernal or vernalis), both bloom when temperatures are cold and even freezing! H. virginiana bloomed at the Discovery Center last November and H. vernalis is wrapping up its bloom. If you pay attention, you’ll see common houseflies (Musca domestica) and hover or flower flies (Syrphids) buzzing around blooms. With their preference of cooler temps, flies do the lion’s share of work when it comes to early pollinating. Some of them are also pretty darn cute, in my opinion!
Hover flies are such common visitors to flowers that they’ve evolved to look like bees and wasps. Upon closer inspection you can tell they’re a fly with their enlarged head mostly covered in eyes, short antennae and single set of wings. While they’re sipping nectar from flowers they’re collecting pollen on their fuzzy bodies. They also predate on larvae of many insects like aphids, mealybugs, and other soft-bodied insects.
According to the Missouri Department of Conservation, “Old-time Ozarkers paid close attention to these flies, which they called “news bees” or “good news bees.” If a yellow news bee was flying around one’s head, it meant that good news was on the way.” Seeing any kind of pollinator in the garden is good news in my book. I hope you take a closer look at who’s tending to your garden this spring and develop a deeper appreciation for our underdog pollinators.
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