The Lyons Share

Thanks to Crispin Holloway for letting me know about the Dotted Bee-flies in his Dad's garden and thanks to John Holloway for allowing me into that garden to photograph the flies. And what an amazing garden that is, with steep south-facing chalk-grassland with violets and Cowslips everywhere. I soon bumped into the common Dark-edged Bee-fly Bombylius major (bottom photo). This was closely followed by Osmia bicolor. Then Crispin showed me a photo of a shield bug he found in the green house which was of a Box Bug. At the top of a steep lawn, more like a section of downland than a garden, we saw the Dotted Bee-flies Bombylius discolor (top photo). After seeing Brian Banks's post a few days ago, I knew what to look for, the tip of the abdomen is much darker and this is obvious in flight. When seen from above in flight though, as in this photo, they are a little harder to tell. It is actually a Dotted. This species is nationally scarce and on the BAP list.