Monarch and Associate

Here's a Monarch Butterfly picture I took with a photobombing insect.

August 15, 2020 at Negri Nepote Native Grassland Preserve

What is the 2nd insect? It's hard to say. The wings are moving too fast to tell much from them. The face doesn't look bee-like to me; I thought the face looked a little like a dragonfly, though when I posted it online someone else nominated a hoverfly.

Both these theories make a certain amount of sense. I definitely saw dragonflies nearby, and they could be looking to make a meal out of one of the smaller pollinators hanging around flowers. (I suspect that a Monarch would be a little large for most dragonflies to attack.)

As for hoverflies, they're also called "flower flies", and would be interested in some of the same flowers that attract Monarchs. We all recognize bees as important pollinators, and many also recognize butterflies as pollinators, but some flies and wasps are also important in getting plants pollinated.

I tried expanding the picture, but the 2nd insect was never truly in focus and blowing it up much more than this would probably start some serious image degradation.



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