Some of the local entomologists are gainfully occupying their time in lockdown by working on an inventory of hover flies in our Region of Centre-Val de Loire and Indre et Loire, our local 'county'. I was asked to contribute my records, which I did. I thought it was a good moment to highlight these attractive and important little flies on the blog. Hover flies are good pollinators, and many species have predatory larvae which feed on aphids, so you definitely want to be encouraging them in your garden. Here are a selection of the species you could see here in your garden, all photographed in our orchard.
Two for the price of one.
Xanthogramma citrofasciatum.
Migrant Hover Flies mating.
Hornet Mimic Hover Fly.
Milesia crabroniformis.
************************************************
For details of our private guided tours of chateaux, gardens, wineries, markets and more please visit the Loire Valley Time Travel website. We would be delighted to design a tour for you.
We are also on Instagram, so check us out to see a regularly updated selection of our very best photos.
We are also on Instagram, so check us out to see a regularly updated selection of our very best photos.
7 comments:
Nice... and you finished with my favourite of all "Crabby Mellisa"....
Just for you, of course. I think she's probably our star species.
When looking at the first photo, I was wondering if the flowers they were nectaring on weren't those of Hedera helix and, sure enough, you gave the answer below! In Arlington, when my ivy is in bloom, the flowers are visited by zillion of insects of all kind.
And, sounding like a broken record, very interesting post!
Ivy is a really important nectar source and insects, especially flies, and ivy bees, flock to it.
Here in Western North Carolina, USA, we have many species of hoverfly and they are critically important to the ecology of our region. the other day I watched some aggregating near a small rock exposure - they are amazing mimics! Their sound gives them away, however, as their buzz is nothing like that of a true wasp or bee. One critical component of their survival is the presence of knotholes in deciduous trees (such as Fagus or Quercus species) that fill up with water seasonally - hoverflies and other syrphids love to lay their eggs in these "tree holes". Take a look in early spring next year and you'll find them teeming with (larval) life!
Yes, old trees are really important for them. It's rather fashionable amongst the clued up eco-gardeners in Europe to make up slurry buckets to tuck into a corner of the garden for hover flies to breed in.
Excellent!
Post a Comment