I need to give viewers advanced warning. As I noted about a week or so ago, I've been in contact with Jeff Skevington, a Canadian biologist who's one of the world's experts on a group of flies known as Syrphids, and he had the Princeton University Press send me his brand new  identification bible on the group titled Field Guide to the Flower Flies of Northeastern North America. The book is a godsend, to say nothing of gorgeous and fun to read, and it threatens to become a new obsession. That's the warning: the rest of the summer is going to be filled with references to the book and attempts to become reasonably familiar with these colorful insects. This insect in today's photo is my first successful foray, using this fine book, into the group, and I tracked it down to page 378 of the guide. Jeff was good enough to confirm my diagnosis, so, without further adieu, I present Ocyptamus fuscipennis, the Dusky-winged Hover Fly, for what I hope is everyone's viewing pleasure. Consider it the start of an adventure.