Bee mimic

A quieter day - thank goodness. I took the dogs up to Southey Wood in the hope of photographing insects on the bramble, but, for some reason, there were very few around, apart from honey-bees and bumble bees.

But just when I'd given up hopeI came across this amazing hoverfly Volucella bombylans , washing its face. It imitates the garden bumble bee Bombus hortorum and it is very good at it. You can tell them apart by looking at the head and feet.

The real bumble bee has smaller and more glistening eyes and long antennae. The antennae of the fly are very small, while the eyes are much bigger. The fly flies elegantly like all other hover flies and is able to come to a complete stand still in the air. The bumble bee flies in straight lines and is less elegant.

This evening we had a family barbecue - with Caribbean overtones. The lamb kebabs with red onion, red pepper, pineapple and banana were surprisingly successful, as were the lime prawns with mango and coriander salsa. Certainly made a change from the usual burgers and sausages!