A major wildflower pollinator

Shown here is the bright yellow flower of a plant called Jerusalem artichoke. Also called sunchoke, this plant is a member of the sunflower family. It has a rather spindly but woody stem that branches out and can become profuse with wonderful flowers. It can grow to a height of about 8 feet.

On the center of the flower, sipping nectar, is a tiny native insect called a bee fly. There are several kinds of bee flies in North America, and they are a major pollinator insect in the United States. The one you see here is quite tiny and very quick in flight. It proved to be a difficult subject to photograph.