Hoverfly that looks like Bombus pascuorum

This hoverfly was foraging in the woods along with Bombus pascuorum, and at first glance could easily be mistaken for it.  I'd seen it many times before, but had never managed to get a good photograph of it.  This is the best I could do.  However when I got home and tried to identify it I realised I hadn't taken a very good photograph of the vital parts that distinguish this species - it has orange antennae - most other hoverflies have black or dark brown antennae.  Anyway at least I've got a photograph of it.  I set the camera to zoom and stood well back.  Before I was setting it to close up, as I do for bumblebees.  Bumblebees are so tolerant and will let you get within a cm before showing any signs of anger.

Mesembrina meridiana, large fly with yellow markings on face

 This is Mesembrina meridiana, a large fly in the Muscidae (house flies) family.  It has very distinctive yellow markings on is face.

 The photograph below shows the sticky pads on its feet, and the two claws that will help it cling to almost any surface.

Eristalis horticola - hoverfly

Finally got this hoverfly identified as Eristalis horticola.  I saw masses of them this summer.  It's larva is like the rat tailed maggot.  We have been having stormy but warm weather, and finally the wind has dropped and the sun has come out, so I'm off to the garden to plant a Magnolia.  I've had no luck with magnolias before, so I hope this time I will get it right.

Hoverflies

This is Chrysotoxum arcuatum - quite a mouthful for a little hoverfly, and it doesn't have a common name because I checked.  Here it is sitting in one of my orange poppies sunning itself.  I get a lot of insects doing that as the temperature inside these bowl-shaped flowers is higher than outside.  So the heat saves them energy and helps them digest their food.

I don't know much about this pretty little fly except it is common in Scotland especially around woodlands, and it is uncommon elsewhere.

This year I have had a huge number of hoverflies in the garden and the greenhouse, and they are very welcome.  I don't know if there has been an increase everywhere else this year, or if it is because I have left a few dill plants to self seed.  I know the hoverflies just love dill when it is in flower, so I deliberately pulled out only those I didn't want, or were in the way of something else.  I even left a few in the greenhouse, and they grew huge!  This year I haven't been bothered with greenfly until a few weeks ago - so I wonder if it is the dill attracting hoverflies.  Anyway I will do the same next year as I hate the mess of greenfly honeydew covered in black fungus.

Just started Harry Potter's The order of the phoenix.  Am really enjoying Somerset Maugham's The magician, but got a bit fed up of Dawn French's Dear Fatty.  Perhaps I should have read it over a longer time - just a few pages a day.  I didn't like the format.  I've just got Jan Beccaloni's Arachnids, but I won't start it until I've finished the old, battered copy of Bristowe's The world of spiders - of which I've read just a few chapters, good so far though.

The leaves are piling up in the garden.  I've bagged some, but have yet to discover how to remove leaves from gravel.  Do you wait until they blow away somewhere they are easy to gather?  I'm using last year and the year before's leaves as a mulch round some plants during the winter.  As a mulch they look better than grass clippings, but are less nutritious.

Now I will take to the chesterfield with a glass of Pomerol and Somerset Maugham before rousing myself to watch Jim Al-kalili at 9.  It's a hard life!

Caddis fly larva

Just added this drawing of a Limnephilidae larva to the second caddis fly page.

Limnephids are probably the most commonly found caddis flies, so it is about time I had a drawing to add.

The sun is actually shining today, and the garden is filled with bumblebees - new queens, males and workers.  They have had a tough few days with all the rain, and many of my flowers have been flattened, but there are still the wild flowers and the lavender for them.  Didn't see a single honey bee though.  Masses of hoverflies.  I've been trying to photograph some of the hoverflies, but they are really difficult to get as they move away as soon as I'm ready.

Eristalis tenax, drone fly, rat-tailed maggot

Well, we are back from our hols in Japan. Tired and fatter. Japanese food is sooooo delicious.
Added this image of a Drone fly to the Hoverfly page. There seem to be 2 spellings for its Latin name, but I have chosen Eristalis tenax as this one seems to be the most common.