The Aromatic Asters (Aster oblongifolius) in my garden are just beginning to show off their soft lavender blooms. Those few flowers have gotten the attention of an Eastern Calligrapher (Toxomerus geminatus). It’s a tiny creature, measuring just 1/4 inch long.

Though it looks like a bee or a wasp, it is a fly. It doesn’t sting. Count those wings. Just two. Bees and wasps have four wings. Flies have just two wings. And a mighty good fly to have around. It’s a pollinator. As an adult it eats pollen and nectar. While in its larval stage the Eastern Calligrapher eats aphids and other small garden pests. Indeed, a mighty good fly to have around.