Beautiful Insects

Bee collecting pollen at the Del Mar fairgrounds

European beewolf (Philanthus triangulum), a solitary wasp.

The head of a female dragonfly

As their common names suggest, they are often seen hovering or nectaring at flowers; the adults of many species feed mainly on nectar and pollen, while the larvae (maggots) eat a wide range of foods.

Sympetrum is a genus of small to medium sized skimmer dragonflies, known as darters in the UK and as meadowhawks in the United States.

The Banded Demoiselle Calopteryx splendens is a European damselfly. It is often found along slow-flowing streams and rivers.

The Comma (Polygonia c-album) is a species of butterfly, common in the United Kingdom and with a distribution across Europe and temperate Asia to Japan and south to Morocco

The Broad-bodied Chaser, Libellula depressa, is a European dragonfly.

A young male dragonfly of the species Aeshna cyanea

A bee in mid air flight

Male Bee Hanging Out

Zoom on pollen covered bumblebee on Echinacea purpurea

The Yellow-winged Darter, Sympetrum flaveolum, is a dragonfly found in Europe and mid and Northern Asia

A flying 12 mm large hoverfly called marmelade fly (Episyrphus balteatus)

Image shows a 0.47 inch (12 mm) large dance fly Empis tesselata male

The Hummingbird Hawk-moth (Macroglossum stellatarum) is a species of hawk moth with a long proboscis, and regularly hovers, making an audible humming noise.

Mason bees are increasingly cultivated to improve pollination for early spring fruit flowers. Unlike honey bees (Apis mellifera), they are solitary; every female is fertile and makes her own nest, and there are no worker bees for these species.

Male of Austrolestes annulosus (Selys) in the family Lestidae (commonly known as a Blue Ringtail). It inhabits riverine pools, lakes and ponds, including tempoary pools, and is widely distributed over the Australian continent except the northern and north eastern parts.

Scarce Swallowtail (Iphiclides podalirius), picture taken in Athens, Greece

Bumble-bee Bombus hypnorum on a sunflower