The 40 mile-per-hour howling wind didn't seem to bother the syrphid fly, aka hover fly and flower fly.    

It clung to a blossom on the tower of jewels, Echium wildpretii, and proceeded to nectar. Its wings sparkled in the morning sun.

This is a pollinator and one that's often mistaken for a honey bee.

A honey bee it isn't. It's a fly.

If you want to read more about them, be sure to check out entomologist Robert Bugg's UC ANR publication, Flower Flies (Syrphidae) and Other Biological Control Agents for Aphids. Click on the link for access to a free 25-page PDF.