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.