Meet the slim-tailed leafwalker (Xylota florum), a hoverfly that completely breaks the rules of its own family. While most hoverflies are famous for hovering gracefully over colorful blossoms to sip nectar, Xylota species almost never visit flowers. Instead, they spend their lives running, walking, and sunbathing on large, sunlit leaves deep in the forest. To feed, they act like miniature vacuum cleaners—scurrying across foliage to lick up loose, wind-blown pollen that has fallen from the canopy above. While the adults forage on leaves, their larvae live a completely different life hidden inside damp, decaying wood, feeding on decomposing plant material and playing a crucial role in turning dead trees into rich forest soil. Because of this dependency, you will only find these unique flies in undisturbed, mature woodlands filled with rotting logs and fallen timber. Active from June to early autumn, these “non-hovering” hoverflies are always a treat to find. I was lucky enough to spot this sleek, stunning leafwalker during a quick hydration pause on my bicycle tour through Sweden, catching it basking in a brief patch of sunlight.