I teamed up with Dave Chapman who was showing me the delights of fields at the back of Percy Throwers Garden Centre! Not a good day for Butterflies but there had been brief (Bins) views of Purple and White-letter Hairstreak. The fields here were rich in flowers and it's been years since I witnessed the sight of Hoverflies in their hundreds. Nothing special though initially...
Then... Dave got a bit animated, pointing at a patch of thistles with those immortal words "What the bloody hell is that Jim"? OMG came my reply..."Volucella, hornet mimic!! But which? I knew there were two species to consider?
To make sure the ID was fireproof, I remembered to get a clear view and pic of the underside and sure enough, the broad black bars were there. Volucella zonaria, my third...
Clearly a male, my previous two were females so it felt like an exciting new addition to the Hoverfly list.
