Natural England - Chrysotoxum elegans - Zipperback
Chrysotoxum elegans - Zipperback
Suggested by: name to be supplied
Runner up: Elegant hover fly
One of nature's gardeners.
Hoverflies feed mostly in pollen or nectar and so are commonly seen hovering around flowers. Their larvae prey on aphids and other plant sucking insects, and can therefore be useful to farmers and gardeners in controlling pests. This species prefers dry, open grassland and is mainly found around the south west coastal peninsula and south west Wales. It is thought that the larva develop in ant-nests where they feed on root aphids.
Image © Geoff Foale
