Eristalis transversa
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
Eristalis transversa, the transverse banded drone fly, is a common species of hoverfly first officially described by Wiedemann in 1830. 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 flowers, from which they get both energy-giving nectar and protein-rich pollen. The larvae are rat-tailed type but larvae of this specific species has not been reported.
external map Species reported from North America east of the Mississippi River and into Southeastern Canada. For terms see Morphology of Diptera. external images Size 7–12 mm (0.28–0.47 in) Head The eyes are pilose on upper half and broadly contiguous in the male. The front is black, shining in the middle, black pile on the sides. The female also with black pile, narrowed above but on the lower two-thirds reddish pollinose. The antennae are reddish yellow. The basal portion of arista sparsely plumose. The sides of the face covered with dense whitish pollen and whitish pile, the median stripe (tubercle) and cheeks are shining black.
Thorax The notum is opaque black, with three... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Acadia National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Point Pelee National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 3 | Shenandoah National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Great Smoky Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Boston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Minneapolis [Saint Paul] | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Toronto | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 4 | New York City | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Washington | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Detroit | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Philadelphia | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Chicago | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Montreal | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 10 | Baltimore | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Transverse-Banded Flower Fly sighting in Shenandoah National Park on a given day, based on 43 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 103rd most-seen of the 723 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June and August
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Transverse-Banded Flower Fly in Shenandoah National Park on a given day, against under 5% in November to April, the lowest months.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Transverse-Banded Flower Fly sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
3rd of 4
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Transverse-Banded Flower Fly sightings, Shenandoah National Park ranks 3rd at about 10%. The best odds are in Acadia National Park (United States, about 20%) and Point Pelee National Park (Canada, about 10%).
Same genus: Eristalis
The closest relatives of the Transverse-Banded Flower Fly that you can see in Shenandoah National Park (genus Eristalis, Drone Flies) are Common Drone Fly (about 20%), Black-Shouldered Drone Fly (about 10%) and Eurasian Drone Fly (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Transverse-Banded Flower Fly is recorded against all the insects logged in Shenandoah National Park (43 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.
