You may have noticed this little floral visitor in your garden.

It might appear to be a bee, a common mistake to the untrained eye or those who think that all floral visitors are bees.

But it's a fly, and flies are pollinators, too!

This fly, from the genus Eristalis, family Syrphidae (hover flies), order Diptera, is probably Eristalis  stipator, says fly expert Martin Hauser, ?senior insect biosystematist?with the Plant Pest Diagnostics Branch, California Department of Food and Agriculture.

In its larval form, Eristalis, found in aquatic habitats, is known as a rat-tailed maggot, due to its appendage that resembles a snorkel.

Next time you see this little fly on a flower, you can tell your friends "In its larval stage, it's a rat-tailed maggot."

As they widen their eyes and raise their eyebrows, you can add:  "But in its adult stage, it's a pollinator."