Blera scitula
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
Blera scitula, the western wood fly, is an uncommon species of syrphid fly first officially described by Williston in 1882. Hoverflies get their names from the ability to remain nearly motionless while in flight. The adults are also known as flower flies, for they are commonly found around and on the flowers from which they get both energy-giving nectar and protein-rich pollen. The larvae of Blera are of the rat-tailed type, feeding on exuding sap or in the rot holes of trees.
This is a Nearctic species found on the western coastal area of North America. External image For terms see Morphology of Diptera. External images Size 10 to 13 mm. Head The frontal triangle is opaque yellow, The vertical triangle is black, with black pile. In the female the frons is moderately narrowed above and yellow on the lower fourth, shining greenish black elsewhere except thinly reddish pollinose in front of the ocelli. The pile is black. The pile is longer on the ocellar triangle and is yellow at the vertex. The face is yellow, with yellow pollen and a prominent rounded tubercle in the middle. The gena are shining black. The antennae are red with the flagellum... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Great Bear Rainforest | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 2 | Olympic National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Pacific Rim National Park Reserve | 🇨🇦 Canada |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Western Wood Fly sighting in Pacific Rim National Park Reserve on a given day, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 94th most-seen of the 107 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.
May and June
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Western Wood Fly in Pacific Rim National Park Reserve on a given day, against under 5% in July to April, the lowest months. Those are among Pacific Rim National Park Reserve's driest months, with about 90 mm of rain a month against 470 mm in November.
Between 1 and 4 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Western Wood Fly sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Western Wood Fly sightings, Pacific Rim National Park Reserve ranks 3rd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Great Bear Rainforest (Canada, about 10%) and Olympic National Park (United States, about 10%).
Same family: Syrphidae
The closest relatives of the Western Wood Fly that you can see in Pacific Rim National Park Reserve (family Syrphidae, Hover Flies) are Common Drone Fly (about 30%), Western Pond Fly (about 20%) and Banded Thintail (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Western Wood Fly is recorded against all the insects logged in Pacific Rim National Park Reserve (5 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.
