Praecox

A home-based day catching up with a few tasks including clearing some of the dead and dying plants from the garden. While we were out there we spotted this tiny picture-winged fly scarcely 5mm in length, one of a pair sitting on a Pot Marigold on the patio. This is Tephritis praecox, a species currently ranked as Red Data Book 1, but now seemingly well-established in Britain, though with most records coming from the southern half of the country. 

The habitat preferences of this species are unclear. In Israel, it has been reared from Field Marigold Calendula arvensis and it has also been reared from Calendula species elsewhere. In the UK its most likely host is Pot Marigold Calendula officinalis so worth looking hard for it if you have these in your garden.

In the evening I led a walk for the ladies of the Bainton Buttercross Club around their village. Because of the heat it was a relatively small but very interested group. Despite my misgivings we found plenty to talk about - they'd now like to book me for a guided tour round Bainton Pits next May!!