Within three days I have seen two unfamiliar ‘insects’ with a strange hoverfly on a bramble flower today.   Athough it looked like a kind of bee  it is a Pellucid Hoverfly (Volucella pellucens) but not like the usual black and orange hoverflies.   Pellucid means transparent or translucent and refers to the white band across the abdomen through which its insides can sometimes be seen in the right light.  There is a dark spot on each wing and the small gap between its eyes indicate that it’s a female as the males have their eyes touching. Bramble is its favourite food.