One of the signs of spring where I live is the emergence of small wildflowers in the wooded areas, including Spring Beauties (Claytonia virginica), like this one that I photographed yesterday at Prince William Forest Park in nearby Triangle, Virginia. According to the description of the Spring Beauty in Wikipedia, “the individual flowers bloom for three days, although the five stamens on each flower are only active for a single day.”
I do not know if this was “the day” for the stamens of this particular flower, but a large hairy fly was definitely attracted to its nectar. I cannot identify the species of the fly, but think that it is a kind of Tachinid fly. The large family of Tachinid flies differ in color, size, and shape but many somewhat resemble house flies and tend to feed on liquids such as nectar.
When I showed this image to fellow blogger and dragonfly enthusiast Walter Sanford, he noted the low angle at which I had taken this shot and characterized it as a “belly flopper photo.” Walter has seen me in action multiple times and knows that I will often try to get as low as I can to get a shot, which was pretty low in this case, given the fact that Spring Beauties are often only a few inches tall.
How low do I go? Check out a posting that Walter did in 2016 called Opposing viewpoints to see a shot of me sprawled on the ground trying to get at eye level with a snake and my posting that same day called Close to a garter snake to see the kind of images that you get when shooting at such close range.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Terrific photograph of bloom and bug!
I agree about getting low to become level with your subject (or even looking up at it) for a better composition. Problem is, at my age, I can “belly flop” just fine, but getting back up is another story!
Thank you, Mike, for sharing the image and professional technique!
Ahhh! Spring beauties! (Forget the fly😂)
Blue Rock Horses Frederick County, Virginia bluerockhorses.com
You may be the first with that kind of a comment, Mitzy, but I suspect that you will not be the last. Many people have a visceral negative reaction to flies, so I am not too surprised. 🙂
How funny, Mike, though it seems ‘visceral’ is a pretty strong word for my dislike of flies—let me count the ways! 😂 Can’t imagine any farmer liking disease carrying flies.
I can appreciate, Mitzy, all of the reasons why your perspectives and reactions to insect pests and probably some plants too are different from mine. I grew up in the suburbs and have never lived in the country. 🙂
Gottcha! Makes a bit of a difference does it not? 🙂
Nice Mike! Very nice! Looking forward to more of your Great images in the coming days!
Good photo, Mike. Eye level with a snake? Not my idea of a good idea.
My macro lens is pretty long at 180mm, which means that I can stand a good ways back and still get good close-up shots. I took the flower shots that I featured recently with a 60mm macro lens and was really close to the flowers. I am a little crazy, I’ll admit, and was really excited the time when I got close enough to a snake to capture my own reflection in the snake’s eye. (https://michaelqpowell.com/2014/04/30/my-reflection-in-a-snakes-eye/)
Wonderful shot and I also lie from time to time on my belly for a picture.
Thanks. I like to try to vary the angle of my shots if I can–it gives the images a different feel if I don’t always shoot from the same height, I think.
Amazed you’ve made a fly look as glam as a flower and have said as much in this tweet: https://twitter.com/ExploringColour/status/1377017545568362499
Great comment, Liz. Maybe I can get a job doing public relations work for under-loved insects. 🙂 Thanks for the sweet tweet,
My pleasure!
Such a nice portrait of a certainly under-appreciated subject. I’ve done more than my share of belly-flop photos and am with you on this.
Thanks, Gary. Though I believe you have noted to me in the past that right angle viewfinders and the newer tilting screens make it easier to get the low angle shots without the belly flop pose. 🙂
Hey, one does what one can with what one has. And we make it work.
We share the same approach in that regard, Gary. I am always delighted when I get a good shot in conditions that are less than ideal or when I use the “wrong” lens or violate the established “rules.” 🙂
But inquiring minds want to know: how many deputies, game wardens, and generally good folks have stopped to be sure you’ve not had a coronary? I’ve developed the technique of holding the camera up in the air while prone by way of explanation!
Whoops ~ I clicked before I finished. I’ve noticed that the Spring Beauties are popping up in blogs I follow in Kentucky, Tennessee, and so on. I’ve also noticed that many people don’t include their visitors; this is a great photo of a handsome one.
Thanks. It is relatively easy to get a shot of a spring beauty, but you have to be a lot more patient to get one of the visitors–I will soon be featuring another one of those visitors. When I first started to get serious about my photography, I worked with my mentor and mimicked her approach of concentrating on macro images with an occasional bug. Over time I move to my current warm-weather approach of photographing mostly insects with an occasional flower.
So far I have been stopped only once, but I was standing upright. Apparently an elderly gentleman wearing a gray sweatshirt had wandered off from a nearby nursing home and I had to convince the authorities that I was not the missing man, despite the fact that I too was wearing a gray sweatshirt.
Ha! Love it! My daughter casually said to me on her way to the car yesterday morning, “I don’t think that’s appropriate” to me bent over my tiny nature discovery in my work dress taking a picture. (I always wear shorts underneath to school, but it’s the principle of the matter, I suppose.) 😄 Admirable snake posture, Mike. I like photographing snakes too.
I laughed when I read your comment, Laura. It is often hard to remain dignified when taking nature photos.
😃😄 We are kindred creepers and crawlers, benders and crouchers, Mike.
Large hairy fly, indeed! Stay out of my kitchen, you…
Spring beauties are all over our yard. Hope I can transplant some!!