Identification guide

Meet the eight groups

You don't need to name the species. Just decide which of these eight groups each visitor belongs to.

Counting tip

Not sure? Flies have big eyes and short antennae; bees and wasps have long antennae and a more defined waist.

Robust with a shiny, hairless black abdomen. Often hover near wood.

Large, round, and fuzzy. Slow, loud fliers with black-and-yellow bands.

Slender, amber-and-brown, with pollen baskets on the hind legs.

Tiny native bees — sweat bees and others under a half-inch long.

Narrow waist, smooth body, often with bright yellow markings.

Two wings, big eyes, short antennae. Many mimic bees and wasps.

Broad scaled wings and a coiled tongue. Day or dusk visitors.

Beetles, true bugs, and anything else that stops to visit a bloom.