Hover Fly from Southern California

Subject:  Flying skinny bee
Geographic location of the bug:  Southern California
Date: 07/16/2022
Time: 10:05 PM EDT
Your letter to the bugman:  I saw this skinny bee on a flowering coriander/cilantro plant near our front door. Visiting flowers one by one just like a regular bee. I have noticed it the last week or so since the flowers started blooming.
How you want your letter signed:  Turtle Tagger

Hover Fly

Dear Turtle Tagger,
This harmless pollinator is a Hover Fly or Flower Fly in the family Syrphidae and we identified it as Allograpta obliqua thanks to the Natural History of Orange County website.  Many species in the family benefit from mimicking the appearance of stinging insects like wasps and bees. 

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