Dragon And A Hornet Mimic

Beautiful warm sunshine brought the insects out. I was going to post a wasp eating a bee by the ivy bush until I saw this huge belted hoverfly washing its 'hands'. It's a hornet mimic and is our largest hoverfly. It's a Mediterranean species which became established in the UK in the 1940s.

I shot the over mature female common darter dragonfly this afternoon. I love the hint of red on its abdomen. The males are completely red.