Autumn's Joy

An Autumn Poem:

This poem was inspired by a walk to my parents earlier this month.

Autumn returns, with rustling leaves,
birdsong drifts where summer left.
A jay glides past with nuts in its crop,
Caching food for colder weather.

Bright Nights Festival

Thought for the week: Nature Art

Every year I look forward the light festival that comes to town, this is the eighth year visiting Barnsley.

The reason I look forward to it is that these events are often full of nature inspired installations that blend art and nature beautifully. It also brings the whole town together, as long as it’s not wet or clashes with an England football match as it did one year. It can bring people of all ages into town even though its dark.

I love to see how art as a medium can be used to illustrate ecological concepts and environmental concerns of the day. I think it is important that we stop and look at what those issues might be, and art is a super medium to bring those concerns to life without judgement, if the message is clear. These installations are often interactive yet stimulating and I come away with a sense of wellbeing and fresh ideas for myself and aspire to be more creative going forward.

Last weekend there were more people at the Bright Nights than I have seen previously so well done the organisers, I even had to queue to see some of the installations. 

Hoverfly Sightings W/C 17th November 2025

The Search for Hoverflies

As the days get shorter, colder and wetter, it’s getting more difficult to find any hoverflies so did I succeed?

22nd November

British Naturalists’ Association (BNA) field meeting at Broomhill flash.

The Myth of Bugonia

Thought of the Week:  Now for something completely different:

Biblical Scripture: Judges 14:14
“Out of the eater came forth meat; and out of the strong came forth sweetness.”

If you are curious as to what the logo for Lyles’s Golden Syrup and scripture from the bible Judges 14:14, has to do with hoverflies then please click the read more below……

Hoverfly - Common Dainty (Baccha elongata)

Common Dainty (Baccha elongata) Wing length 4-8.25mm. Flight Apr-Nov

Species of the week – 10th November.

The first thing to notice about these hoverflies is that they look like no other hoverfly. They have this slender body with a wasp waist and hover around plants without visiting any actual flowers, or at least rarely. You might even wonder if they are in fact a hoverfly at all? Well yes, they are, they have the definitive vena spuria, the false unconnected vein, typical of all hoverflies, Syrphidae.

Hoverflies Art: Metamorphosis of the Rat-tailed fly

Metamorphosis of the Rat-tailed fly (Eristalis tenax)

Following on from my historical art article named ‘Volucellae and Bees’ I have found another piece of art illustrating hoverflies, which I wanted to share.

This is from a French book by Emile Blanchard titled ‘Metamorphoses, mœurs et instincts des insects (Insectes, myriapodes, ararchines, crustaces)’ Published: Paris, G. Baillière: in 1868, although I have only seen the 2nd edition published in 1877.

Metamorphosis in insects is the book’s subject matter written 24 years before Beddard’s book on mimicry called Animal coloration. As I do not read French the starting point for my interest was the English version of the book, but I did use translation software to read Blanchard’s original text about Syrphidae which was fascinating.

E. Blanchard’s book was adapted for English readers by P. M. Duncan F.R.S titled ‘The transformations (or metamorphoses) of insects: (Insecta, Myriapoda, Arachnida, and Crustacea.)’ and is a compilation of works from other scientists of the era George Newport, Charles Darwin but mainly the work of E.Blanchard.  Publication/Creation: London, Cassell Petter & Galpin, 1882.

I have extracted from the book one plate called the ‘Metamorphoses of a rat-tailed fly’ which I would like to discuss in more detail.

Hoverfly Autumn’s Joy

Hoverfly Sightings W/C 3rd November 2025

7^th November

Barnsley Naturalist (BNATs) field meeting: Drizzle on the car windscreen enroute, but it cleared up and ‘turned out nice again’ by the end of the fungi foray. Was another mild day.

Please note this list of records below, is my own taken at the event and that there will be a much more comprehensive list created by Michelle, the BNATs recorder in a few days, go to the BNATs Facebook page for more information. 

 

Hoverfly Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax)

Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax) Size 9.75-13.0mm. Flight Mar-Nov.

Species of the week – 3^rd November.

This is a hoverfly that, as the name suggests, is common and can be spotted any month of the year. As I write this in November it is one of the few hoverflies that I can come across on a milder day, because females are known to hibernate. In Spring it is often one of the first hoverflies I see hovering in a shaft of sunlight, lekking over a dandelion flower in the hope of mating with a passing female. This hoverfly is known to dangle its legs as it hovers, so is identifiable in the air even if out of reach to see its markings. Come Autumn go to any Ivy bush in the sun and I am sure to see one of them, along with its cousin the Tapered Dronefly (Eristalis pertinax).  

Facts about Hoverflies Volume 1

Things to know about hoverflies Volume 1.

1. Hoverflies can be spotted in most habitats; wetlands, meadows, brown-field sites, woodland and their edges, hedges, parks, gardens, coastal, uplands and marshes. Hoverflies are not so good in cold areas of the planet like the poles or in very hot places like deserts, in fact none are known to exist in Antarctica.