Another unknown dancing insect in the garden

I was inspired by Stevvi's recent blip of a flying bee, so when out in the garden this afternoon, I thought I’d get my camera out. We'd just eaten our first meal outside this year under the canopy on the patio which felt wonderful.

Magnificent wisteria flowers are climbing over the cabin and unfurling in abundance, even before they have produced many leaves on their long climbing stems loaded with buds. I tried to record their vivid purple colours but with the intense and direct sunshine the results weren’t great. I must try again at dusk one day soon.

I moved on to the lower part of the garden which is a wilder zone closer to the adjacent fields and woods. I saw that the St. John's Wort was attracting many insects so having been inspired by Stevvi’s recent and fine blip of a bee in flight, I thought I’d see what insects I could record. 

There were hoverflies and other insects of a similar type, with striped thoraxes. I also saw four different butterflies dancing all around the shrubs and the neighbouring trees. But I really felt drawn to try to catch these amazing insects, which have incredibly long antennae which stand up vertically when they flit about over the flowers, seemingly in a mating display with each other.

I must admit it took some thinking about how to record them in flight, and a few failed tests, as they fly so quickly and in apparently random directions. I’m quite pleased with this picture. The iridescent blue on their wings really looked pretty when the light caught it at odd angles. I have no idea what these insects are called or anything about them, so if anyone can offer any suggestions I’d appreciate it.