d2b 的最愛

Three Myopa in a stack, dangling from an old Symphyotrichum pilosum stem. I'm guessing the female is hanging on the stem and the two below are males. I was tipped off by another individual, presumably male, flying among the jungle of stems, coming upon this trio and almost latching on.

For ID of host bee larva
Body length: 7.38mm
Bee larva ex. hollow Solidago stem (photo #8), containing 3 larvae and one adult male(?), presumably all of the same parasitoid wasp species floating around the periphery (IDed here). The host bee larva is hollowed out but you can still make out the head capsule, tracheae, and probably other features.

Associated observations:

• https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/124743647
• https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/124624543

Posting with hopes some of the bird experts out there might know the gillions of ducks? migrating south in Florida last night? Got a cool full moon shot with them going by, inadvertently. I was thinking maybe scaups.

This photo was taken by Ed LeGrand. I am submitting it here with his permission.

There's a pinkish cast to the photo (from light reflecting from the pokeweed stalk, I think), but the color of the photo has not been manipulated.