The Snuffling Hunter of Hoverflies

Your writer is a rather sick boy today, heavily bunged up with cold and coughing like a two legged sanitorium. It hasn't stopped me getting out of course, this morning I was at Rumbles cafe perusing the dying marigolds before nearly buying women's hiking trousers at Tresspass, and then in the afternoon I managed to get an 11km run in.

It was a fine day in the main, although I missed the beginning of it through being exhausted after my shift. I hate wasting daylight especially when it was as pleasant as this. However, must be grateful for what I did get in this nothing of a summer.

Apart from a few carders, bumbles and honeybees were really not on view today. However, wherever there were flowering blooms, there were hoverflies. Not just the usual marmalade ones either, most of them seemed to be large bee emulating flies that I believe may be of the bombuylans species.

I don't ever recall seeing so many of these large hoverflies, and wonder if, as seems to be the case with many other species these days, they are moving North.

Speaking of which, I had a good look for ivy mining bees today, and although the strange and powerfully scented ivy flowers were attracting a lot of customers, there were none of these new southern invaders up here yet.

Si

All images and text copyright CreamCrackeredNature 19.09.15

Rare sighting of a native ladybird, possibly a 7 spot.

Feeding carder bee

This time of year, they are the dominant bumble about

The marigolds just hanging on

So, here's a big hoverfly

Otter rock

Pleasure boating

On the flowering ivy

And another one!

Failing to hide from me

Very dark markings, this species

These yellow flowers on the small park near my home

Lovely wing detail

Big eyed beastie