A mini Jester!

Today's blip is another of my favourite flies, Graphomya maculata.
The first time I saw one of these flies was about 5 or 6 years ago, when I first started to take photographs of British insects. Having never seen one before I was totally convinced I had found something really rare, possibly the first record for Sussex, maybe even the whole of the South east! Sadly for me I couldn't be more wrong, as this beautiful fly with it's black and white markings is actually a Muscid fly, and really quite common.
The female (and this is a female) is black and white and really rather striking, the male has the same stripes on the thorax, but the abdomen is a less distinctive orangey brown. The adults can be found from May to October in meadows, road verges and hedgerows where they nectar on various flowers and are especially fond of umbellifers. The predatory larvae can be found in muddy pools and damp leaf litter.
I have long since felt that this beautiful little fly in his black and white striped motley should be given the English name of the 'Jester fly'.
What do you think?