Daylilies

The first of the red daylilies opened this morning.

The extra shot is of the garden soldier fly that buzzed me in the greenhouse and then settled on the white frost cloth I use to protect the plants from the harsh sunshine. At 15mm long it’s the largest of the soldier flies I see here. Unfortunately the left front leg is obscured. When it’s in the normal position the symmetry of the legs makes the fly really stand out. However, I chose this shot from the several taken because the marvellous four spikes on the scutellum (between thorax and abdomen) are clearly visible.