I thought this fly was really cute.
See its strange little antennae?
Its handsome bristles?
See how his proboscis is deep in the aster’s nectar?
It’s hard for me to tell what kind of fly this is (”little hairy” isn’t a type). If you want to know more about fly anatomy, this website was recommended by a Norwegian dipterist (an entomologist specializing in flies).
[Dipterist is from the Order Diptera (Greek di = two, and pteron = wing), possessing a single pair of wings on the mesothorax and a pair of halteres, derived from the hind wings, on the metathorax.]
I don’t think dipterist is a very useful word, but for some reason I thought those little fly bristles were particularly endearing.
That is a mighty interesting looking “hairy fly”. Cool almond shaped eyes. Is that a second “hairy fly” in the background of the third photo?
I think it’s a little mosquito, but don’t know.