Some images have an artistic component to them, as well as scientific fact. I rather liked this crop on the shot of a female Melanostoma scalare on Dandelion.
Melanostoma scalare is one of the more readily identified of the smaller hoverflies due to the 'oven glove' shape of the yellow markings on the abdomen.The male hoverfly to the upper right of the next image is Platycheirus clypeatus, but I can't see enough of the female to make an attempt at identification. She might well be a female P. clypeatus, however, since I often see pairs feeding together.
St. Marks Flies are so-called because they usually emerge on or around St. Marks day - 25th April. Things are running a little late this year, however.
My first Ichneumonid of the year was this tiny (7mm) specimen running around on and under a Bramble leaf. I saw a couple of them along the hedgerow and I presume they were looking for some moth or sawfly larva that I couldn't find.
Scathophaga sp. dungflies feed on dung as larvae, but are voracious predators as adults. I often see them poised and ready to pounce when suitable prey comes along.
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