Hoverfly Autumn’s Joy

Hoverfly Sightings W/C 3rd November 2025

3^rd November

The week got off to an unpromising start, an overcast day with gusty winds.

Hoverflies logged:

But what a joy to see this small slender bodied wasp-waisted hoverfly amongst the Ivy in my garden, a Common Dainty Hoverfly (Baccha Elongata) sex unknown.

4^th November

A walk from my house to visit my parents, overcast with light rain. Gusty winds and clouds amassing in the distance. It suggested a downpour, but it never materialised until much later in the afternoon.

With it not raining as forecasted it allowed for a most wonderful walk, full of Nature’s Joy.

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

Trees glisten bright from a gentle shower,
Yellowed hues— no crimson glow.
False Christmas lights in early bloom,
Halloween barely left the room.

Take your decorations home, please.

Berries gleam, amongst the branches
Dead Nettle’s white flowers peeking.
A Starling flock disturbs the Mistle Thrush,‘zer’r’r’r’r’
Its feast cut short with a startled rush.

A Sparrowhawk flees the gull’s domain,
from sewage spoils it sought in vain.
Is that my mother’s voice I hear—
A Crow’s call echoing Mark, Mark.

Linnets flutter to fields afar,

Skylarks rise like Vaughan Williams’ star.
Dutchman’s breeches drift in sky’s embrace,
while pansies plead for a bee’s brief grace.

Burdock looms, forlorn and dry,
yet clings to fawns that wander by.
A robin whispers for an oaty treat,
Soft and tender, its song discreet.

Three partridge stand, two wagtails call,
One buzzard mews above them all.
Cherry trees bare, their berries gone,
Hoverflies hum where ivy hung.

Luniger and banded, they weave and dart,
escaping webs with a frantic heart.
The humble bumble, last to roam,
marks the end of autumn’s poem.

Hoverflies logged:

Common Banded (Syrphus ribesii) ♀, Grey Spotted (Platycheirus albimanus), Lunuled Apideater (Eupeodes luniger) ♂+♀

Lunuled Aphideater (Eupeodes luniger) & Common Banded (Syrphus ribesii)

Arrived at my parents had a cuppa and some tasty treats - coconut, mango and vanilla balls which were delicious, before heading home with a spring in my step.