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GENERAL DISCLAIMER: I’m by no means an insect expert. I’m just a normal guy who likes to take pictures of the fun critters who pass through the pollinator garden. So please excuse any mistakes or inaccuracies in the information provided on this site. I’m still learning as well. =]

I often see both Lady Beetles and Tortoise Beetles in my pollinator garden. When I first saw a Tortoise Beetle I initially thought it was a special species of Lady Bug. I have since learned that Tortoise Beetles are plant eaters and different from Lady Beetles.

Below are a few common Tortoise Beetles / Lady Beetles I see around the garden along with a few shortcuts I use to easily tell them apart.

Check out the photo galleries below to see lots more pictures of Tortoise beetles and Lady beetles.

GENERAL DISCLAIMER: I’m by no means an insect expert. I’m just a normal guy who likes to take pictures of the fun critters who pass through the pollinator garden. So please excuse any mistakes or inaccuracies in the information provided on this site. I’m still learning as well. =]

A quick spotlight on a few of the beetles that frequent my garden. See below for a few common beetle species and links to a few of my beetle galleries.

GENERAL DISCLAIMER: I’m by no means an insect expert. I’m just a normal guy who likes to take pictures of the fun critters who pass through the pollinator garden. So please excuse any mistakes or inaccuracies in the information provided on this site. I’m still learning as well. =]

Both small bees (sweat bees / carpenter bees) and small hover flies abound in my pollinator garden. I enjoy seeing both equally as much. At a quick glance, hover flies can be easily mistaken for bees. There are a few notable features that help me to quickly separate out the flies from bees.

The easiest difference for me is when I notice the large eyes of hover flies. Hover flies have notably larger eyes than bees. They also tend to be much brighter in overall color and aren’t covered in nearly as much pollen as your average bee. A few additional differences are noted in the infographic images below.

To see more Hover Fly photos check out my dedicated hover fly photo gallery linked below!

GENERAL DISCLAIMER: I’m by no means an insect expert. I’m just a normal guy who likes to take pictures of the fun critters who pass through the pollinator garden. So please excuse any mistakes or inaccuracies in the information provided on this site. I’m still learning as well. =]

Two common hover fly species I see in the pollinator garden are the Eastern Banded-wing and the Four-Speckled hover fly. Both look very similar in appearance but there are a few distinct differences I have noticed in the individuals I have photographed.

See the infographic images below for highlights in how these hover flies differ.

For lots more photos of hover flies spotted in the pollinator garden, check out my Hover Fly gallery below.

After much work and even more procrastination the RichardsonPollinators.com site is now live.

This site will serve primarily as a place for me to share my journey towards making my lawn one large pollinator friendly habitat. I’ll be sharing lots of photos and information about what critters are coming to visit and what things are / are not working in terms of attracting the pollinators.