{"id":7738,"date":"2016-05-03T04:00:27","date_gmt":"2016-05-03T09:00:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/tkahler.com\/blog\/?p=7738"},"modified":"2023-04-06T20:00:45","modified_gmt":"2023-04-07T01:00:45","slug":"giant-spiderwort","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tkahler.com\/blog\/2016\/05\/giant-spiderwort\/","title":{"rendered":"Giant Spiderwort"},"content":{"rendered":"

I decided I needed to add more Texas Wildflowers<\/a> to my photography collection so I set out to photograph flowers at\u00a0Saint\u00a0Edwards Park<\/a> in Austin. The park was filled with wildflowers and I was able to add quite a few to my collection. I saw a cluster\u00a0of Giant Spiderwort<\/a> (Tradescantia gigantea) flowers and decided to photograph them even though it was already in my collection. What made this one interesting was a very tiny insect. At first, I thought it was a bee or a wasp but upon further research (and confirmation by an amateur entomologist) it is a flower fly (Sphaerophoria Continua).<\/p>\n

Flower flies (Syrphidae<\/a> family) are among the most colorful and conspicuous insects found around flowers. Of the nearly 900 species in North America, most have yellow and black stripes and are excellent mimics of wasps or bees. Flies can\u2019t sting, but sounding and looking like insects can, makes birds and other predators avoid them. Flower flies are not only important as pollinators in farms and gardens, but they also help to control pests. About 40% of the world’s species belong to groups with larvae that eat aphids, scales, and other soft-bodied pests. So, next time look twice when you see an insect that looks like a wasp or bee on a flower.<\/p>\n

\"Giant<\/a>
Giant Spiderwort – St. Edwards Park<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This image was taken with my\u00a0Sony Alpha A7R II<\/a>\u00a0using my\u00a0Sony FE 90mm f\/2.8 Macro Lens<\/a>. The camera was set on Manual mode with the aperture set at f\/10, shutter speed at 1\/400th of a second and the ISO set at 800. This is a single image processed in Lightroom.<\/p>\n

You can access the profile\u00a0for this flower\u00a0by clicking\u00a0here<\/a>. Please use the section below to post your comments, questions or suggestions.<\/p>\n

\"T.
<\/a>\u00a9 2016 T. Kahler Photography<\/p>\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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