Broad-banded Hoverfly

September 16, 2025

A Broad-banded Hoverfly (Epistrophe grossulariae) feeding on the nectar and pollen of Blue Wood Aster (Symphyotrichum cordifolium). These Hoverflies have a widespread native range including Europe, Asia, North Africa, and North America.

They closely resemble a bee, but they don’t sting, though they do enjoy landing on a sweaty arm to lap up our salts. So be patient, they are gentle creatures. Their size ranges between .4 and .5 inches in length. Broad-banded Hoverfly larvae eat aphids and other small soft bodied insects.

A good one to have around.

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Published by

Brenda Clements Jones

Brenda is a certified Virginia Master Naturalist, a Habitat Defender for Shenandoah National Park, and a devoted fan of Mother Nature. She lives in a cabin in the Blue Ridge Mountains near Shenandoah National Park, and hikes up to the higher elevations of her mountain often to see what nature is up to. Her constant hiking companion is a camera that captures nature as it unfolds through the seasons. It’s her goal to share the natural world around her through her photographs.