Black-Margined Flower Fly

Black-Margined Flower Fly

Syrphus opinator

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Glacier National Park

In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%

9 Verified sightings at Glacier National Park From 2019 to 2026
124 In all 8 parks
May Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Black-Margined Flower Fly

Syrphus opinator, the black-margined flower fly, is a species of syrphid fly in the family Syrphidae. Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Pacific Rim National Park Reserve 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
2 Redwood National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
3 Banff National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
4 Great Bear Rainforest 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
5 Olympic National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
6 Glacier National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
7 Grand Teton National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
8 Rocky Mountain National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Sacramento 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
2 Portland 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
3 Vancouver 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
4 Seattle 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
5 Calgary 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
6 Salt Lake City 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
7 San Francisco 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
8 Edmonton 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
9 Los Angeles 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
10 Denver 🇺🇸 United States
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Black-Margined Flower Fly in Glacier National Park?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Black-Margined Flower Fly sighting in Glacier National Park on a given day, based on 9 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 86th most-seen of the 147 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Black-Margined Flower Fly in Glacier National Park?

May to August

In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Black-Margined Flower Fly in Glacier National Park on a given day, against under 5% in September to April, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Black-Margined Flower Fly?

Between 11 am and 2 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Black-Margined Flower Fly sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Glacier National Park the best place to see a Black-Margined Flower Fly?

Among the best

Of the 8 parks where we can rate Black-Margined Flower Fly sightings, Glacier National Park ranks 6th at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Pacific Rim National Park Reserve (Canada, about 10%), Redwood National Park (United States, about 10%) and Banff National Park (Canada, about 10%).

Which relatives of the Black-Margined Flower Fly live in Glacier National Park?

Same family: Syrphidae

The closest relatives of the Black-Margined Flower Fly that you can see in Glacier National Park (family Syrphidae, Hover Flies) are Common Drone Fly (about 20%), Common Loopwing Aphideater (about 10%) and White-Bowed Smoothwing (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Black-Margined Flower Fly sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Black-Margined Flower Fly is recorded against all the insects logged in Glacier National Park (9 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

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