Plant/insect ID

[narkj]

Wondering about some more vegetation/animal questions. In 2017, when I came to Mammoth I hiked up to McLeod Lake, near Mammoth Mountain. When I was there, there was a plethora of small flies and bees, millions of them, all buzzing around the bushes and fauna by the lake. More bees and flies than I'd ever seen before? They may have been both bees and flied, flies that looked like bees, etc. The point was there were millions of them.

Anybody have an idea about what the fauna could be, the specific types of bugs?

If I recall, they were attracted to little white flowers in those trees and bushes.

In this photo, the bees/flies would have been in the small bushes off to the right, just by the shore.

Any thoughts?

mcleod_2.jpg

McLeod_1.jpg

[ERIC]

Looks to me like Sierra Willow, and the flies could be hoverflies.

[John Harper]

I see there are some Black Bee Flies and Window-winged Bee Flies. Without a picture, I can't really compare it to anything in my Sierra Field Guide.

John

[ERIC]

Both, literally, or essentially, hoverflies.