Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Two impressive hoverflies in the garden today: Volucella inanis, a black-and-yellow wasp mimic....
.....and the even larger Volucella zonaria, a hornet mimic with more reddish colouring.
Both were on the hebe bush in the garden along with at least two other hoverfly species, honey bees, bumblebees and peacock butterflies. Each year one or two individuals of these two species appear on the Hebe for the entire time the shrub is flowering - usually all of August and at least the first week of September. When that's finished they switch to the marjoram. Then the marjoram fades - and then they are gone.
// posted by Christine @ 8:38 AM 
