Maple Tree in Bloom…in January?

Lest anyone wonder about global climate change, the warming is quite real, and is manifesting itself in earlier and earlier bloom times for spring flowers around the world.  Still, it was a bit of a surprise to see my backyard maple tree coming into bloom — and aswarm with pollinating flies — in the middle of January.  I took these photographs about a dozen steps from my back door, using my iPhone (and, for three of the four, my Ztylus macro lens).  It took a wee bit of patience to find a cooperative bee mimic fly; the task was made more difficult by the fact that nearly every branch was well above my head.  My efforts were, at last, rewarded with a couple of images.