Bears, Green Tigers, & Wolfs Milk.
I cannot believe we’ve reached May already. Before long, spring will have given way to summer. While it hasn’t been the best week for hoverflies, with temperatures dipping a little, it has offered me the chance to explore and appreciate other fauna and flora in my local area.
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| One for the nature table - developing pinecones. |
The week began with a visit to Wentworth Woodhouse, where an impressive hoverfly was spotted—though the day was somewhat dampened by the loss of some equipment. A walk along the Trans Pennine Trail brought a welcome highlight, with the sighting of one of the most colourful hoverflies found in the UK. The weekend then saw visits to Dearne Valley Country Park with the Barnsley Naturalists and Howell Wood with the British Naturalists, where, alongside friends, we encountered some amazing species to spotlight.
Wentworth Woodhouse.
For previous walks at Wentworth, I visited the Woodhouse gardens back in March (Link) followed by the village in April (Link). So, for May I thought I would head into the countryside taking a path leading away from the Woodhouse to Wentworth Park and its ponds.
The start of the walk was wonderful, leading me away from the car park into a classic country estate wood pasture. Veteran trees stood scattered across the landscape, interspersed with a patchwork of open green spaces—lush grass that surely provides grazing for the deer that wander these lawns once the visitors have departed.
I was walking along dashing from tree to tree as you do, looking for basking hoverflies on the tree trunks when I came across this wonderful specimen – a Bearfly (Criorhina floccosa). A hoverfly with a distinctive face-shape, its mouth elongated downwards, forming a snout much like a bear. There are 4 Bearflies to be found in the UK and are all spring-time hoverflies. This species is often spotted at the base of ancient and veteran trees where the female will lay eggs in wet, decaying timber, as was the case here spotting her at the base of an old dead tree. The distinguishing features for Criorhina floccosa, apart from the long face, are a ginger thorax with tufts of pale hairs on the side of the thorax and base of the abdomen.
Also spotted on the same tree was a basking Black-headed Cardinal beetle (Pyrochroa coccinea) and several Noon flies (Mesembrina meridiana). Both are quite common species to spot, but nevertheless nice to add to the year list.
Next time you visit a landscape like this, take a moment to appreciate the beauty of these trees, and have a closer look around their trunks—especially on the sunlit side—to see what you might discover. Let me know if you spot anything… you might even be lucky enough to find a Bearfly too.
Unfortunately, my sweep net was lost somewhere in the Woodhouse Pasture that day, leaving me with nothing but the handle even after a thorough search. 🦗🔍
Dearne Valley Country Park.
Taking some of the less beaten paths of the parks we found plenty of insects, plants and flowers to keep us at a steady walking speed of 0.000001 mph. To be honest I was surprised to get out the car park.
The highlight for me were two hoverflies which I was glad to share with the group.
Buttercup Blacklet (Cheilosa albitarsis)
This is one of the classic LBJs (“little black jobs”) in hoverfly circles. There are 38 species within this genus in the UK, making them far from straightforward for beginners. However, with care in the field and the aid of a good hand lens, a few species can be identified. As with most hoverflies, it’s important to observe key features such as wing markings, the colour of the antennae, and the presence or absence of hairs on the eyes—particularly useful when dealing with these LBJs. It’s also worth noting the location and the plant specimen it was found on, as this can provide valuable clues for identification.
This one had just landed in some short vegetation, only to be pounced upon by a hungry spider. But before the spider could get its fangs in, it was HoverflySpotter to the rescue. I was in the right place at the right time for this female blacklet. So having rescued her from the jaws of death, she was potted up and inspected for identifiable features, whilst she recovered.
I consulted the book for a spring hoverfly with entirely back legs except for the middle and front legs which were pale with black feet, dark antennae, bare eyes, and found on a woodland ride.
Bingo—I’m fairly sure this was the Buttercup Blacklet, and, fittingly, it had landed on a buttercup just moments before the spider made its move. Simple, right…? Well, not quite. A good field guide certainly helps!
Blotched-winged Whitebelt Hoverfly (Leucozona lucorum)
This was spotted by the president of the Barnsley Nats so no pressure in getting this one right.
The obvious thing first noticed was the dark blotch on the wing, followed by the ginger thorax and yellow scutellum. Again, another hoverfly with a long white face but not as long as the bearfly mentioned above. Fortunately, I had seen this species the day before, on the TPT, so I knew this hoverfly was on the wing. But there was something odd about this specimen has it was lacking the clear white belt across the top of the abdomen.
So, I considered other similar species to eliminate what it could be:
It was not as scruffy looking, this was a neat looking hoverfly so not Cheilosia illustrata.
It did not have shiny black thorax and scutellum thus ruling out Pied Plumehorn (Volucella pellucens), this being more likely spotted in a month or two.
It did not have the red tail so was not one of the less common hoverflies Erizona syrphoides, shame.
Nor did it have loop in the wing which would have made it Eristalis intricaria.
So, by process of elimination, it must be a Leucozona, a dark form.
It was a male so consulting the books later proved this is quite possible.
Unfortunately, I didn’t get a picture, so I cannot be 100% certain. Rookie error.
Always best to release them back into the wild, afterwards. No specimens are taken home.
Female: Blotched-winged Whitebelt Hoverfly (Leucozona lucorum) – not the one from that day.
The highlight for most people that day was probably the non-native Wood Duck (Aix sponsa), also known as the Carolina Wood Duck. A visitor from North America—though more likely an escapee from an ornamental collection—it was a striking male, adorned in vibrant, iridescent plumage, with deep red eyes and a distinctive white stripe sweeping down the neck. How long it had been on the fishing lake I couldn’t say; I had visited only a week earlier and it hadn’t been spotted then.
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| Photo by Pamela Heckel on Unsplash |
Other highlights and new for the year’s records where:
For botanists there was Spotted Meddick (Medigao arabica), the first flowering of Yellow flag Iris and Foxglove. For those that like a bit of pteridology there was Polypody and Male ferns. For those that like Bryophytes there were common wall mosses on the foundations of old gatekeeper’s cottage; Silky Wall Feather Moss (Homalothecium sericeum) Wall Screw Moss (Tortula muralis), Hedgehog Moss (Grimmia pulvinata), Anomalous Bristle Moss (Orthotrichum anomalum) and a Didymodon species (don’t ask which hehe). For more information about wall mosses please check out this article from a March 2026 (link). For the entomologists there was Green Nettle Weevil (Phyllobius pomaceus), Common Malachite beetle (Malachius bipustulatus), Cantharis pellucida, Turnip Sawfly (Athalia rosae), Beriberi sawfly (Arge berberidis) and a large Fannia (Fannia lustrator), the fly’s identifiable features being orange legs and yellow wing bases, see photograph below.
There was plenty to spot no matter what your interest was.
Howell Wood.
Only 7 people turned up for this event, which was a blessing as it nearly didn’t happen. It would seem we were not the only group to convene for an event that morning, the car park was full and we had to wait for people to exit before we could venture forth. But I am glad we stuck around as there was much to see.
A wood dating back to the 1700s, it was planted mainly as a game reserve by William Marsden of nearby Burntwood Nook, a small stone mansion on a hilltop nearby.
The focus of the session was trees, and luckily Bob, our leader for the day, is a bit of an expert on trees, knowing all kinds of fascinating facts and information. We looked at the bark as a way of determining whether it is fast growing (softwood) or slow growing (hardwood). The faster the tree grows, the more pressure on the bark so it tends to be rougher, even broken. As a rule of thumb, not always but usually the case, the smoother the bark the slower the tree grows. We also observed when looking at oak trees from afar that English Oak have curvy, bending branches which Sessile Oak don’t.
As well your standard Holly (Ilex aquifolium) the wood also has a few more exotic forms. We had previously identified this as Weeping Holly (Ilex vomitora) but a closer examination indicated it might be Black Sea Holly (Ilex colchica). This is a native of Eastern Europe with its narrow, dark black-green leaves and a far greater number of individual flowers in each blossom/inflorescence. It was no surprise that there are some exotic varieties in this wood as it was overgrown with various varieties of Rhododendrons. But which Holly it was will need another visit I think to confirm.
Other species seen include some fungi – Wrinkled Crust (Phlebia radiata) as well as a slime mold Wolf’s Milk (Lycogela epidendrum), resembling a fungus but is actually classified as an amoebozoa, with its pinkish blobs as the photograph below shows. Apparently if disturbed it oozes a pink paste-like substance. Unfortunately, I didn’t test this oozing, which is a shame, next time.
In the heart of the wood lies a small patch of heathland. Many people simply walk through this open space, and I can’t help but wonder if they realise that beneath their feet is a spectacle to rival any African safari.
If you look closely at the sandy ground between the common heather, you may spot tiny holes peppering the surface. These are the nesting sites of the Ashy Mining Bee (Andrena cineraria), a delightful little species distinguished by the soft grey hairs across its thorax and upper abdomen. Around these burrows, nomad bees flit restlessly—kleptoparasitic cuckoos shadowing the mining bees in the hope of slipping an egg into a freshly provisioned nest. Once hatched, the larva consumes both the stored food and the developing young of its host. I did say it rivals an African safari even if one you have to get on your hands and knees to see.
Most bees have their associated kleptoparasites, and some of the most conspicuous are the bee-flies that target bumblebees, many people have seen and commented on these this spring. In the case of the Ashy Mining Bee, one of its Kleptoparasites is Lathbury’s Nomad Bee (Nomada lathburiana). This striking, wasp-like species is marked with yellow band across the abdomen with red bands near the base. However, the red can be surprisingly difficult to pick out in the field, especially as these bees dart about and fold their wings when they settle. With a little patience, though, you can often catch a glimpse. Knowing your kleptoparasite associations helps with identification in the field as they are all very similar.
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| Photos by K.Hinchcliffe |
Also in the vicinity were Green Tiger beetles (Cicindela campestris). There are 5 species of Tiger Beetles to spot in the UK, but the Green Tiger is the most common, the others being more localised. The Green Tigers are metallic green with purple-bronze legs and spotted wing cases particularly around the edges, around 10-15mm long. Boy can they move as they scuttle along the ground and should you get too close they will fly-off so you have to be quick to spot them. The larva live in vertical soil burrows for 1-2 years, ambushing invertebrate prey as they pass by. Today it was just the adults on show, who were no doubt looking for other adults to mate with or an easy lunch, which reminded me it was time to go.
What a wonderful day it was, normally these outings are usually 2hrs in length but today we spent over 4hrs in those woods. In total we observed and identified 83 species for the day. Full list below.
For those who are following my total species count for the year it now stands at 412, up 88 from the end of April. Not a bad increment for two weeks.
All photographs are my own unless otherwise stated.
Full list of species spotted at Howell Wood.
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