What they do
They visit flowers for nectar and can transfer pollen as they move between blooms.
Pollinator profile
Dance flies
Family Empididae
Many visit flowers for nectar and can move pollen between blooms while also playing important roles in local food webs.
Category
Flies (flower-visiting flies)
Order
Diptera
Family
Empididae
Also Known As
Empididae, dance fly
Intro
Overview
Dance flies are a diverse family of flies (Empididae) that you may spot hovering, perching, or moving quickly among flowers. While they’re not as famous as bees, many dance flies regularly visit blooms and can contribute to pollination as they feed. This page helps you recognize them, understand what they need through the seasons, and choose practical ways to support them in yards, school grounds, and community spaces.
At a glance
Quick Facts
Food
Small, open flowers, spring shrubs, summer meadow blooms, late-season asters/goldenrods
Habitat
Leaf litter, tall grass, hedgerows, damp soil edges, undisturbed corners
Seasonality
Warm, calm daylight hours, often around peak bloom periods
Where to look
Flower patches, meadow edges, woodland trails, gardens, parks, schoolyards
Key takeaways
If you remember only three things
A quick summary you can scan in under 10 seconds.
What they need
A steady sequence of blooms plus “messy” habitat features like leaf litter, grasses, and edges.
One best action
Plant a mix of native, small-flowered plants that bloom from spring through fall.
Why it matters
Why they matter
Dance flies are part of the “hidden workforce” of pollinators: common in many landscapes, active around flowers, and often overlooked. Supporting them usually supports many other beneficial insects too.
Key Impacts
What this pollinator supports
- They can contribute to pollination when they feed on nectar and brush against pollen-bearing parts of flowers.
- They often use small, open, easy-to-access blooms—helpful for gardens designed with diverse flower shapes.
- They can be active in cooler or cloudier conditions than some other pollinators, depending on the species and local weather.
- Their presence can indicate a habitat with good structure (edges, vegetation layers, and undisturbed ground cover).
- They are part of local food webs, serving as predators and prey at different life stages.
Identification
Identification guide
Dance flies can look like many other small flies at first glance, so focus on behavior and overall shape rather than trying to identify a species right away. Watching how they move around flowers and nearby vegetation is often the quickest clue.
1
Usually small to medium flies with a slender, streamlined body.
2
Often seen hovering, darting, or perching on leaves and flower heads.
3
Many have long legs that can look "dangly" in flight or when perched.
4
Wings are typically clear to lightly tinted; they often hold wings out or slightly back when resting.
Range and habitat
Where they live
Dance flies occur across many parts of the world, and different species use different habitats. In general, you’ll find them where there’s a mix of flowering plants and nearby cover such as grasses, shrubs, or woodland edges.
Even small gardens and schoolyards can help by providing continuous blooms and leaving some areas less “tidy.”
Common Habitats
- Meadows and old fields with mixed wildflowers
- Woodland edges and sunny forest paths
- Hedgerows, thickets, and shrubby borders
- Streamside and pond-edge vegetation (where flowers and cover meet)
- Gardens with layered planting (groundcover + perennials + shrubs)
Life cycle
Life cycle and seasonality
Dance flies go through complete metamorphosis (egg, larva, pupa, adult), and their timing varies by species and local climate. What matters most for habitat planning is that adults need flowers when they’re active, and immature stages need protected places to develop.
Spring / Early Season
Adults of some species begin appearing as early blooms open; sheltered edges and leaf litter can matter.
Summer / Mid-Season
Flower visitation is often easiest to notice; diverse meadow-style plantings can support more species.
Late Season
Some species remain active as long as flowers are available and temperatures allow.
Winter / Dry Season
Immature stages or pupae are typically protected in soil, litter, or vegetation.
Late-season flowers and year-round shelter reduce “dead zones” when adults need food or young stages need protection.
Gardening guide
How to support in your garden
Provide the right food and habitat to help this pollinator thrive.
Plant these flowers
Nectar is a sugary liquid that fuels flight and daily activity, and pollen is a protein-rich resource that many flower visitors pick up while feeding (even if they don’t intentionally collect it). For dance flies, a wide variety of small, accessible flowers can be useful across the season.
Early season
- Native willows (early catkins)
- Spring-flowering native shrubs (general)
- Early woodland wildflowers (general)
- Dandelion-type composite flowers (where appropriate and managed)
Mid-season
- Native umbels (carrot-family type flower clusters)
- Meadow wildflowers with open centers (general)
- Clover-type flowers (where appropriate)
- Native shrubs with clustered blooms (general)
Late season
- Asters (native where possible)
- Goldenrods (native where possible)
- Late-blooming native meadow flowers (general)
- Flowering herbs left to bloom (general)
Best plant choices depend on your region; native plants are usually the best starting point.
Shelter and nesting
Dance flies don’t build nests like bees, but they still need safe places for their life stages—especially areas that aren’t constantly disturbed. Many benefit from a landscape with ground cover, plant litter, and varied vegetation height.
Leave some leaf litter under shrubs and along fence lines instead of removing it all.
Keep a small "no-dig" or low-disturbance zone where soil isn’t frequently turned over.
Maintain patches of taller grass or meadow-style planting for cover and microclimate stability.
Add native shrubs to create windbreaks and shaded edges near flowers.
Avoid over-mulching every surface; keep some natural ground texture and plant debris.
Threats to avoid
Dance flies are affected by many of the same pressures facing other pollinators and beneficial insects. The biggest risks often come from simplified landscapes and chemical exposure, especially when combined with gaps in flowering resources.
Habitat loss and fragmentation that remove meadows, edges, and naturalized vegetation.
Pesticides, including systemic pesticides (chemicals that get inside the plant), which can contaminate nectar/pollen and affect insects directly.
Bloom gaps, especially landscapes with only spring flowers and little summer/fall nectar.
Climate stress that shifts bloom timing, increases heat/drought pressure, or changes local moisture patterns.
Over-tidying (removing leaf litter, dead stems, and ground cover) that reduces life-stage shelter.
Take action
How to help
Helping dance flies usually looks like helping many pollinators: plant for continuous bloom, keep some habitat structure, and avoid chemicals. Small changes—especially in schoolyards and home gardens—can add up quickly.
Plant a "season-long" mix: early shrubs + mid-season meadow flowers + late asters/goldenrods.
Keep a few areas less manicured: leave leaf litter, reduce mowing, and maintain taller vegetation in low-traffic zones.
Avoid pesticides, especially on flowering plants; use non-chemical options first (hand removal, targeted pruning, water spray).
Add habitat edges: a hedge, shrub border, or native planting strip beside a lawn creates shelter and feeding corridors.
Examples
Featured species
Examples from this subgroup. Status varies by region.
Empis tessellata
Common dance fly
This is a well-known example of a dance fly in the genus Empis, often noticed around flowers and sunny edges. It represents the many Empididae species that can contribute to pollination while using mixed habitats.
Rhagio scolopaceus
Downlooker snipefly
While not always thought of as a “pollinator,” this fly is a recognizable example of a flower-visiting, edge-dwelling fly within the broader dance-fly-and-relatives grouping people often notice outdoors. Seeing it can be a sign of nearby habitat structure like hedgerows and woodland margins.
Scathophaga stercoraria
Yellow dung fly
This is a familiar, easy-to-spot fly that sometimes visits flowers and can move pollen incidentally. It’s included here as a practical “gateway” example: noticing common flies on flowers helps people recognize that pollination involves many insect groups.
Definitions
Glossary
Nectar: A sugary liquid made by flowers that fuels many pollinators and flower visitors.
Pollen: Powdery grains produced by flowers; moved between blooms, enabling seed/fruit production.
Habitat: The natural “home” area that provides food, shelter, and conditions an organism needs.
Native: A species that occurs naturally in a region without being introduced by people.
Invasive: A non-native species that spreads aggressively and can harm local ecosystems.
Systemic pesticide: A pesticide that gets inside the plant, potentially affecting nectar, pollen, and plant tissues.
Bloom gap: A period when few or no flowers are available for pollinators to feed on.
Edge habitat: The transition zone between two habitat types (like lawn and shrubs), often rich in insect activity.
Life stage: A phase of development (egg, larva, pupa, adult) with different needs and risks.
Pollen: Powdery grains produced by flowers; moved between blooms, enabling seed/fruit production.
Habitat: The natural “home” area that provides food, shelter, and conditions an organism needs.
Native: A species that occurs naturally in a region without being introduced by people.
Invasive: A non-native species that spreads aggressively and can harm local ecosystems.
Systemic pesticide: A pesticide that gets inside the plant, potentially affecting nectar, pollen, and plant tissues.
Bloom gap: A period when few or no flowers are available for pollinators to feed on.
Edge habitat: The transition zone between two habitat types (like lawn and shrubs), often rich in insect activity.
Life stage: A phase of development (egg, larva, pupa, adult) with different needs and risks.
What You Can Do
Make a difference for native habitats.
Turn this knowledge into action. Whether you plant a single pot or a whole garden, you are building a vital bridge for local biodiversity.
Join the movement to restore our shared habitats.
Native plants
Plants that support this pollinator
Alders
Alders are fast-growing trees in the genus Alnus that are especially useful in damp spots and along edges where you want quick cover and early-season pollen for insects.
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Asters
Asters are late-season wildflowers that bring a burst of daisy-like blooms when many gardens are winding down, making them a reliable choice for pollinator-friendly planting.
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Birches
Birches are graceful trees in the genus Betula, known for their often light-colored bark and early-season pollen and catkins that support springtime insects.
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Blueberries & huckleberries
Blueberries and huckleberries (genus Vaccinium) are berry-producing shrubs with spring flowers that can support pollinators and later feed people and wildlife—great for gardens, schoolyards, and even large containers.
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Clovers
Clovers are small, easygoing plants in the genus Trifolium that can add nectar and pollen to gardens, lawns, and pots while helping cover bare soil.
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Fireweed
Fireweed is a tough, fast-growing wildflower in the genus Chamerion that brings bright pink blooms and lots of pollinator activity to sunny, open spaces.
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Fleabanes
Fleabanes (genus Erigeron) are easygoing wildflowers with daisy-like blooms that can brighten gardens, schoolyards, and balcony pots while offering steady nectar and pollen for many small pollinators.
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Goldenrods
Goldenrods are tough, sunny wildflowers in the genus Solidago that light up late-season gardens with golden blooms and provide reliable nectar and pollen when many other flowers are fading.
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Kinnikinnick
Kinnikinnick is a tough, low-growing evergreen groundcover in the genus Arctostaphylos (often called bearberry) that forms a tidy mat and offers small spring flowers followed by red berries.
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Manzanitas
Manzanitas are tough, beautiful western shrubs with urn-shaped flowers that can feed early-season pollinators and evergreen leaves that keep gardens looking good year-round.
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Poplars, aspens & cottonwoods
Poplars, aspens, and cottonwoods (genus Populus) are fast-growing trees best known for their fluttering leaves and soft “cottony” seeds. They can support early-season pollinators with spring catkins, but they’re also big, thirsty, and often short-lived in small yards—so they’re best chosen with space and roots in mind.
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Rushes
Rushes are tough, grass-like wetland plants (genus Juncus) that thrive in damp soil and help create calm, sheltered habitat at the edges of ponds, rain gardens, and low spots.
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Sedges
Sedges (genus Carex) are grass-like plants that form tidy clumps and thrive in many garden conditions, especially where soil stays a bit damp. They add texture, cover bare ground, and can support small wildlife by providing shelter and nesting material.
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Willowherbs
Willowherbs (genus Epilobium) are easygoing wildflowers that pop up in sunny, open spots and offer simple, nectar-rich blooms that many small pollinators can use.
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Willows
Willows are fast-growing trees and shrubs in the genus Salix that offer some of the earliest pollen and nectar of the year, making them a strong choice for pollinator-friendly yards, parks, and school grounds.
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Yarrow
Yarrow is a tough, easygoing wildflower that brings long-lasting blooms and steady pollinator visits to gardens, schoolyards, and even containers.
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Regions
Where this pollinator is active
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Aberdeen Plains
Aberdeen Plains is a northern plains ecoregion where the growing season is short and conditions can be harsh for gardening.
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Abitibi Plains and Riviere Rupert Plateau
The Abitibi Plains and Riviere Rupert Plateau is largely defined by boreal forest, wetlands, and extensive freshwater networks.
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Alaska Range
The Alaska Range is a high, cold mountain landscape where plants and pollinators must make the most of a short summer.
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Aleutian Islands
The Aleutian Islands are a maritime, wind-shaped island chain with short, challenging growing conditions and many exposed sites.
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Algonquin/Southern Laurentians
Algonquin/Southern Laurentians is a forest-and-water landscape where many pollinators rely on sunny edges, openings, wetlands, and flowering understories rather than deep shade.
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Amundsen Plains
The Amundsen Plains are a northern Arctic plains region where the growing season is short and conditions are tough for typical home gardening.
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Arctic Coastal Plain
The Arctic Coastal Plain is a tundra region where plants grow low to the ground and the flowering season is brief.
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Arctic Foothills
The Arctic Foothills are a rugged transition zone where tundra landscapes meet rising hills and mountain fronts.
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Athabasca Plain and Churchill River Upland
Athabasca Plain and Churchill River Upland is a northern, boreal-leaning landscape where forests, wetlands, and river systems shape what can grow and when it blooms.
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Baffin and Torngat Mountains
The Baffin and Torngat Mountains are a dramatic Arctic mountain region where life is adapted to cold, wind, and a very short season for growth.
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Baffin Uplands
The Baffin Uplands are a High Arctic ecoregion where plants grow slowly and stay low, and where “garden-style” pollinator planting is often not practical.
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Banks Island and Amundsen Gulf Lowlands
Banks Island and the Amundsen Gulf Lowlands are part of the Northern Arctic, where plants and insects must survive extreme cold, wind, and a very short season for growth and flowering.
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Blue Mountains
The Blue Mountains are a varied mountain-and-valley landscape where forests, meadows, and river corridors can sit close together.
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Bristol Bay-Nushagak Lowlands
The Bristol Bay–Nushagak Lowlands are tundra-leaning lowlands where wetlands, river corridors, and coastal conditions shape what can grow.
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Brooks Range/Richardson Mountains
The Brooks Range/Richardson Mountains ecoregion is a high-latitude mountain tundra landscape where plants grow low to the ground and the season for flowers can be brief.
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Canadian Rockies
The Canadian Rockies are a rugged mountain region with big elevation changes, cold winters, and pockets of warmer, sunnier valley habitat.
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Cascades
The Cascades ecoregion is defined by mountains, forests, and dramatic “up-and-down” terrain that creates many local growing conditions.
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Central Angava Peninsula and Ottawa and Belcher Islands
This ecoregion is part of the Southern Arctic, where plants and pollinators must make the most of a short, intense growing season.
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Central Laurentians and Mecatina Plateau
The Central Laurentians and Mecatina Plateau is typically a softwood-shield region with forests, bogs/fens, rocky openings, and water-rich landscapes.
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Chilcotin Ranges and Fraser Plateau
The Chilcotin Ranges and Fraser Plateau includes a patchwork of plateaus, forests, grass-leaning openings, and river corridors.
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Clear Hills and Western Alberta Uplands
Clear Hills and Western Alberta Uplands is a boreal upland landscape where forests, wet areas, and stream corridors shape what can grow.
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Coastal Hudson Bay Lowland
The Coastal Hudson Bay Lowland is a cold, flat coastal region where wet ground and a short summer shape what can grow.
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Columbia Mountains/Northern Rockies
The Columbia Mountains/Northern Rockies region is a landscape of big elevation changes—forests, meadows, and river corridors stitched between steep slopes and high ridgelines.
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Copper Plateau
Copper Plateau is a boreal-cordillera plateau region where plants and pollinators often have a narrow window to grow, bloom, and reproduce.
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Coppermine River and Tazin Lake Uplands
The Coppermine River and Tazin Lake Uplands sit within the Taiga Shield, where rock, water, and boreal vegetation shape what can grow.
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Cypress Upland
Cypress Upland landscapes are shaped by elevation, exposure, and patchy moisture—meaning one yard can be quite different from another just a short distance away.
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Eastern Cascades Slopes and Foothills
The Eastern Cascades Slopes and Foothills are a transition zone: mountain-influenced landscapes that often lean dry, with big differences from one hillside or creek corridor to the next.
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Ellesmere Mountains and Eureka Hills
The Ellesmere Mountains and Eureka Hills are an extreme Arctic landscape where plants grow slowly and flowering opportunities are limited.
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Foxe Uplands
Foxe Uplands is a Northern Arctic ecoregion where the environment is tough on plants: cold, wind, and a short growing season make typical “pollinator gardening” difficult in many places.
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Great Bear Plains
The Great Bear Plains is a taiga-plains landscape where water, soil, and exposure strongly shape what can grow.
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Gulf of Boothia and Foxe Basin Plains
This Northern Arctic plains ecoregion is defined by cold temperatures, short summers, and landscapes where plants grow low to the ground.
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Hay and Slave River Lowlands
The Hay and Slave River Lowlands are a northern lowland landscape where rivers and wetlands strongly shape what can grow.
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Hayes River Upland and Big Trout Lake
Hayes River Upland and Big Trout Lake sits in the boreal “softwood shield” world of conifers, water, and wetlands.
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Hudson Bay and Hames Lowlands
The Hudson Bay and Hames Lowlands are defined by wide-open lowlands and large wetland landscapes.
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Idaho Batholith
The Idaho Batholith ecoregion is a rugged, mountainous landscape where forests, meadows, and river corridors create a patchwork of habitats.
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Interior Bottomlands
Interior Bottomlands are low-lying parts of Alaska’s boreal interior where water and soils often shape what can grow.
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Interior Forested Lowlands and Uplands
Interior Forested Lowlands and Uplands is a boreal interior landscape where forests, wetlands, and river corridors create pockets of flowering habitat.
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Interior Highlands and Klondike Plateau
Interior Highlands and Klondike Plateau is a northern inland region where elevation, slope direction, and river valleys create many “small zones” for plants.
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Kazan Rvier and Selwyn Lake Uplands
Kazan Rvier and Selwyn Lake Uplands is a northern taiga-shield landscape of rock, water, and hardy vegetation.
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Klamath Mountains
The Klamath Mountains are a complex, mountainous landscape where forests, rocky openings, and river corridors create many different growing conditions close together.
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La Grande Hills and New Quebec Central Plateau
La Grande Hills and the New Quebec Central Plateau are part of the Taiga Shield—often rocky, lake-rich, and shaped by cold-season conditions.
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Lake Nipigon and Lac Seul Upland
Lake Nipigon and Lac Seul Upland is a lake-and-forest shield region where conifer-dominated woods, wetlands, and rocky openings create a patchwork of habitats.
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Lancaster and Borden Peninsula Plateaus
The Lancaster and Borden Peninsula Plateaus are part of the Northern Arctic, where cold, wind, and a short growing season limit how much flowering habitat can develop.
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Mackenzie and Selwyn Mountains
The Mackenzie and Selwyn Mountains are a high-latitude mountain landscape where plants and pollinators must make the most of a short warm season.
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Mid-Boreal Lowland and Interlake Plains
The Mid-Boreal Lowland and Interlake Plains is a boreal-plain landscape where forests and wetlands shape what can grow and when flowers appear.
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Mid-Boreal Uplands and Peac-Wabaska Lowlands
Mid-Boreal Uplands and Peac-Wabaska Lowlands is a boreal-plain region where forests, wetlands, and open edges create a patchwork of habitats.
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Middle Rockies
The Middle Rockies are defined by rugged terrain, big elevation changes, and many “pockets” of different growing conditions.
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Newfoundland Island
Newfoundland Island includes a mix of coastal landscapes, conifer-dominated forests, wetlands, and open barrens.
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North Cascades
The North Cascades are defined by big elevation changes, forested slopes, and river valleys that create many small habitat pockets.
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North Central Appalachians
The North Central Appalachians are known for forested hills, stream corridors, and a patchwork of openings where wildflowers can thrive.
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Northern Appalachians and Atlantic Maritime Highlands
This region is a patchwork of forested mountains and uplands, with streams, wetlands, and openings that can be surprisingly rich in wildflowers.
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Northern Lakes and Forests
Northern Lakes and Forests is a lake-rich, forested shield landscape where native wildflowers often thrive in sunny openings, shorelines, and edges rather than deep shade.
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Northern Minnesota Wetlands
Northern Minnesota Wetlands are defined by water: saturated soils, standing water, and plant communities adapted to wet conditions.
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Oglivie Mountains
The Oglivie Mountains ecoregion is a cold, mountainous part of the Taiga Cordillera where plant life is shaped by short summers, elevation, and shelter from wind.
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Parry Islands Plateau
The Parry Islands Plateau is a Northern Arctic ecoregion where cold, wind, and a short growing season make gardening and long-season blooms difficult in many places.
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Peel River and Nahanni Plateaus
The Peel River and Nahanni Plateaus ecoregion is a northern landscape of broad uplands, river-cut valleys, and hardy vegetation adapted to cold conditions.
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Queen Maud Gulf and Chantrey Inlet Lowlands
This ecoregion is an Arctic lowland landscape where the season for flowering plants is short and highly weather-dependent.
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Seward Peninsula
The Seward Peninsula sits within Alaska’s tundra ecoregions, where the growing season is short and conditions can be tough for conventional gardening.
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Sierra Nevada
The Sierra Nevada is a mountain region with a wide range of habitats—from foothill woodlands to conifer forests to high-elevation meadows.
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Skeena-Omineca-Central Canadian Rocky Mountains
This is a Western Cordillera mountain region where forests, rivers, and open sunny edges create pockets of pollinator habitat.
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Smallwood Uplands
Smallwood Uplands is a northern taiga-shield landscape where water, rock, and forest shape what plants can thrive.
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Southern Rockies
This ecoregion is defined by mountain terrain, big elevation changes, and patchy habitats that can shift from dry, sunny slopes to cooler, moister pockets.
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Subarctic Coastal Plains
Subarctic Coastal Plains are open, tundra landscapes where plants must grow fast during a short summer.
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Sverdrup Islands Lowland
The Sverdrup Islands Lowland is an extreme Arctic lowland environment where plants grow slowly and flowering opportunities can be limited.
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Ungava Bay Basin and George Plateau
The Ungava Bay Basin and George Plateau is a northern Taiga Shield landscape where the growing season is typically short and gardening can be challenging.
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Victoria Island Lowlands
The Victoria Island Lowlands are an Arctic lowland ecoregion where extreme cold and a short growing season make conventional pollinator gardening difficult in many places.
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Wasatch and Uinta Mountains
The Wasatch and Uinta Mountains are defined by elevation, rugged terrain, and big differences between sunny slopes, shaded forests, and stream corridors.
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Watson Highlands
Watson Highlands is a northern, mountain-influenced boreal region where plants and pollinators must handle short summers and big swings in weather.
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Yukon Flats
Yukon Flats is a boreal interior lowland where water—rivers, wetlands, and seasonal flooding—strongly shapes habitats.
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Yukon-Stikine Highlands/Boreal Mountains and Plateaus
This region is defined by boreal mountain-and-plateau landscapes where growing conditions can be challenging but rewarding for hardy native plants.
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