Hover flies
by Ian on Aug.11, 2009, under Bird Watching
Aren’t hover flies brilliant? inquisitive and so mobile. I have a small patch cut out of my lawn and it is sown with wild flower mixture. It is a buzz with hover flies at the moment. So I stuck the lumix on macro and had a go at some pics, I believe the hover with the white stripes is a marmalade hover fly. Look at the size of the eyes! imagine the reaction times of a hover fly in control of a tornado fighter. How wired up is a hover fly when we need highly skilled pilots with multiple computers to control a clumsy (in comparison to a hover fly) plane. Nature, not only red in tooth and claw, but exhibiting the finest flying design along with mimicry.
2 comments for this entry:
August 15th, 2009 on 5:05 pm
visitors? aye they read, but are feert to comment, mainly my colleagues.
August 15th, 2009 on 7:07 pm
These hover-flies are Episyrphus balteatus. They are the most common hover fly in the U.K , and there are similar species from the continent which can be differentiated by the pattern on the scutellum and the way the wing`s are held.They are also good for gardens not only for pollination but also their aphid scoffing larvae.