Coltsfeet

coltsfoot in ditch

I seem to photograph the coltsfoot every year — it’s the first flower to bloom on the mountain. And this is the earliest it’s ever bloomed.

fly on coltsfoot

It’s non-native, but not particularly invasive here. I think most people mistake the blooms for dandelions (which of course bloom much later). Pliny famously classified it as two different plants, failing to observe the small leaves beginning to emerge as the flowers die. This small fly, however, seems quite unconfused.