Odd Insect South East England (1 Viewer)

[ashrich]

Hello everyone , anyone got any ideas as to what this charming chap is , second photo has been turned 180 degrees and cropped . It was found on a Daphne shrub in Maidenhead last Thursday . I have only just been given the photos so wasn't able to post before .


Thanks , Ashley

 

[Allan Hobbs]

It looks like a Bee Fly - Bombylius major
It has a long rigid proboscis for nectar feeding while hovering and long spindly legs. A true fly they are very agile and makes a whining noise when flying. The female scatters eggs while flying and the larvae try to find a mining bee nest where they feed on the bee larvae.
There are quite a few fly species which mimic bees and wasps to try and avoid becoming an easy meal. Some moths also mimic bees and hornets.
Good capture

 

[ashrich]

Thanks for that Allan , I can't say I have seen one of these before , it really looks weird .
My sister took the photo , she phoned me to say she had this odd " thing " in the garden , I ended up giving her a quick lesson on how to use the macro facility on the digital camera I had just given her ( Fuji FP2600 ) , she's never had one before so I reckon she did a good job

. Picture 2 has been rotated 180 degrees so it is upside down , but it shows the proboscis really well , as well as the spindly legs . Pic 1 although overexposed , does show the fabulous wing structure .

Ashley

 

[Sue Wright]

They are beautiful Ashley, I always think of the possibility of having luck at finding them when the Orangetip Butterflies first emerge, not often disappointed either!

You won't forget that little beauty (usually a fair bit darker, though yours is possibly due to the photo) in a hurry and good luck with finding one again next year!

Sue.