Field Guide to the Flower Flies of Northeastern North America

Field Guide to the Flower Flies of Northeastern North America is a groundbreaking guide to flower flies in North America. This is the first comprehensive field guide dedicated to the flower flies (also known as hover flies) of northeastern North America.

Flower flies are, along with bees, among our most important pollinators. Found in a varied range of habitats, from backyard gardens to aquatic ecosystems, these flies are often overlooked because many of their species mimic bees or wasps. Despite this, many species are distinctive, and even subtly differentiated species can be accurately identified. This handy and informative guide teaches you how.

With more than 3,000 colour photographs and 400 maps, this guide covers all 416 species of flower flies that occur north of Tennessee and east of the Dakotas, including the high Arctic and Greenland. Each species account provides information on size, identification, abundance, and flight time, along with notes on behaviour, classification, hybridisation, habitats, larvae, and more.

Summarising the current scientific understanding of our flower fly fauna, this is an indispensable resource for anyone, amateur naturalist or scientist, interested in discovering the beauty of these insects.

• 3000+ colour photos (field and museum shots)
• Multiple images per species, with arrows highlighting key field marks
• Grayscale images showing the actual size of the insect
• Range maps for each species
• Information on size, identification features, abundance, flight times, and more