Early April, things get a bit better !
The weather continued to be a hindrance until yesterday and then brightened considerably. I decided to try a local wood, famous for its bluebells, but concentrate rather on the large patches of Ramsons (AKA wild garlic) that were just starting to flower. I was very successful in finding the hoped for Ramson Hoverfly (Portivenia maculata). This looks very different from the typical yellow and black stripy fly we all grew up imagining as the archetype hoverfly. In fact, it much more closely resembles a house fly type with its chequered grey pattern. Ramson Hoverfly ( 3 pics) All the ones I saw today were males. I also managed to catch a couple of other species that were new for the year, A Common Copperback (Ferdinandea cuprea ) and a Common Dainty ( Baccha elongata ) neither of which I photographed. The second species was present the next day at Watercress Farm however when I managed a hasty photo or two: Common Dainty Hoverfly Along with a few common garden species my year ...