INVERTEBRATE

FOOTBALLER HOVERFLY As climate change elongates our summers, so insects thrive during September’s balmy days. So make a beeline (pardon the pun) for any plant that still offers sugar to encounter a plethora of Hoverflies. Many are strikingly patterned and enjoyable without need for the oft-bewildering process of identification. This one is Helophilus pendulus, reputedly known as the Footballer Hoverfly on account of its striped ‘jersey’.