Bug FAQSpotted Wood Fly
Somula decora · Order: Diptera · Family: Syrphidae
The spotted wood fly lives in central to eastern North America, including Canada and the United States. Adults visit flowers for nectar and pollen, while the larvae develop in decaying wood. These hoverflies can hover almost motionlessly in flight.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
The larvae live in decaying wood.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Adults feed on flower nectar and pollen. Larvae live in and consume decaying wood.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Hoverflies can remain nearly motionless while flying.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
It is found in central to eastern North America. Its range includes Canada and the United States.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 32 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Virginia, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, New York, Illinois, Maryland, Ohio, Minnesota.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in Canada. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
What do adult spotted wood flies eat?
Adults feed on nectar and pollen from flowers.
Source: Wikipedia
What is the geographic range of the spotted wood fly?
It occurs in central to eastern North America, including Canada and the United States.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Syrphidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somula_decora
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-24 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-24.