You are going to see a lot more video footage on the Blog from now on, and I am sure that it is going to enhance your experience and enjoyment in the coming months. I will tell you more about this Hoverfly later on, but first a bit about my fitness.
I was expecting to go in to hospital for my Clavicle pinning op. yesterday and then if not, today. Unfortunately due to emergency life saving operations I have been put down the list until a bed is available. The National Health Service in the UK is a wonderful service, free to all “at the point of need”. My need is great but there are obviously other people whose life depends on being treated first. I am in a great deal of discomfort and, well to be frank, pain so I hope to get it over with very soon and then I can continue with my great life. If you are ever a situation like mine, then I hope that you have the benefit of a lovely wife or partner like my beautiful wife Jenny who is treating me like a Polynesian Chief. I have even been out on a little walk on Exminster Marsh at sunset. Jenny trailed behind, “sherpa-like”, carrying my camera on it’s tripod should we see anything. We did, a Green Sandpiper but it was up and gone flashing it’s white rump as it it left, just giving me time to tell Jenny what it was.
But back in the garden, and in between naps and glorious meals plonked on my lap lovingly by Jenny. I have been sitting on the lawn next to the flowerbeds looking at the insect comings and goings. To be honest, apart from the obvious lack of mobility. life this last week has been pretty good. Missing birds and dragons but I have been forced to watch the garden more than I would have been able, you can’t split yourself in half! So I was chuffed yesterday to get a couple of photos of A Long Hoverfly – Sphaerophoria scripta, a female which I hadn’t seen before. We have had males, they live up to their name, but females are not quite so long in the body. They have pretty yellow legs and a nice yellow face. You really have to look hard because they are very small and could easily be over-looked.

This next species, see the pictures below and the video above is a Drone Fly Eristalis sp. I am pretty sure that it is Eristalis interuptus but I have yet to confirm this. Drone Flies are named because they resemble worker bees. They are interesting for a ew reasons. Males and females can be told apart by the position of the eyes. Females have them positioned on the side of the head whereas the eyes of males are joined in the middle of the head. They are obviously bee “look-a-likes” but you can tell the difference by the absence of a pair of wings, bees and wasps have 2 pairs. These particular hoverflies do not predate aphids, the larvae actually develop in foul, sometimes sewage pools, breathing through a snorkel! As adults they are as useful as bees. They are good pollinators and considering that there is a decline in honey bees I would have thought it imperative that we encourage them as much as possible. They are absolutely harmless in all respects.