Hoverflies on Umbellifers
Umbellifers, such as Hogweed and Angelica, are a great place to see hoverflies at this time of year, they provide a convenient platform for feeding and resting. Most of the hoverflies I see are the common orange and black striped ones or maybe yellow and black ones. Anything different immediately stands out so I keep my eyes open, particularly for grey and black flies around 10mm long. These will be either Leucozona laternaria, or its close relative Leucozona glaucia. The main differences between the two are that L. laternaria has a dark scutellum and white face whilst on L. glaucia they are both yellow. They are two beautiful little flies and can easily be spotted as they feed on the flower heads.
I always look out for them at this time of year. I found the L. laternaria at Tophill Low, in East Yorkshire, last week. The L. glaucia is from Ellerburn, in North Yorkshire, a few years ago.
They can both be found throughout most of the UK in the right habitat, in July and August. They are woodland hoverflies so the ideal place to see them is along woodland rides lined with umbellifers. The females especially are attracted to the flowers as they lay their eggs on the underside amongst aphids, on which the larvae will feed after they hatch.
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Lovely photos as always Paul. Now encouraged I’d better get out there and look!