Two Hover Flies

A European drone fly shares furry applemint flowers with a New Zealand endemic small hover fly. They are both members of the Syrphidae family. The NZ one is 5mm long and is called small to distinguish it from a similar one that is 10mm long.

Another hot day, but this morning was dark and mild. I noted for the third day in a row that there were no praying mantises on the curry flowers, which seemed a good opportunity to tidy up the bush. It was a big job. The bush was almost two metres across, with a lots of dead sticks underneath and masses of dead flowers. It looks a bit ravaged now, but it will recover.

I had a chair alongside to rest in now and then, and as I sat I looked up to the nearby buddleia in full bloom. It was fluttering with yellow admiral butterflies. I counted 11 at one time. Normally I’d be surprised to see more than four.