David Holland's photos

Hoverfly Hutchinson's bank 01/08/2026

Gatekeeper (Pyronia tithonus), Hutchinson's bank From UK Butterlies The Gatekeeper, also known as the Hedge Brown, is a golden butterfly that provides a welcome sight in the middle of summer, when the fresh adults start to emerge. This butterfly spends much of its time basking with wings open, when the sexes are easy to tell apart - only the male has the distinctive sex brands on the forewings. In England and Wales this common and widespread species is found south of a line between Westmorland in the west and South-east Yorkshire in the east. In Ireland it is confined to coastal areas of the south and south-east counties. The butterfly is also found in the Channel Islands, but is absent from Scotland and the Isle of Man. The habitat this butterfly requires is found over most of the British Isles, and so we can only assume that the restriction to its range is governed primarily by climate. Colonies vary greatly in size, depending on the available habitat, ranging from a few dozen individuals to several thousand.

Female Batman Hoverfly Myathropa florea Hutchinson's bank 01/08/2026 From " www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife-explorer/invertebrates/flies/batman-hoverfly " The Batman hoverfly is commonly found in wooded areas across the UK and will visit gardens. They feed on the pollen and nectar of a range of flowers, from blackthorn in spring to umbellifers in summer and ivy in autumn. Look out for them basking on leaves or hovering in sunbeams. Their aquatic larvae develop in water-filled holes and crevices in trees, but adults can lay eggs in just about any container with some standing water. They've even been known to use compost and wet cow dung. If you create a hoverfly lagoon in your garden, there's a good chance you'll attract this species.

Female Batman Hoverfly Myathropa florea Hutchinson's bank 01/08/2026 From " www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife-explorer/invertebrates/flies/batman-hoverfly " The Batman hoverfly is commonly found in wooded areas across the UK and will visit gardens. They feed on the pollen and nectar of a range of flowers, from blackthorn in spring to umbellifers in summer and ivy in autumn. Look out for them basking on leaves or hovering in sunbeams. Their aquatic larvae develop in water-filled holes and crevices in trees, but adults can lay eggs in just about any container with some standing water. They've even been known to use compost and wet cow dung. If you create a hoverfly lagoon in your garden, there's a good chance you'll attract this species.

Lesser hornet hoverfly (Volucella inanis) female, hutchinson's bank

Maybe male blood bee (Sphecodes sp.) Hutchinson's bank

Ichumenon, Hutchinson's bank

Ichumenon, Hutchinson's bank

Maybe Variimorda villosa Hutchinson's bank, magnification 1.4, 6.16 mm long

Hutchinson's bank, magnification 1.4, the green beetle (Thick-legged Flower Beetle (Oedemera nobilis)) is 6.36 mm long, the other one (maybe Variimorda villosa) 6.16 mm

James Grieve from my tree beginning of July

Double-striped Pug (Gymnoscelis rufifasciata), Bromley

Genus Plagiognathus, Hutchinson's bank

Hoverfly, Hutchinson's bank

Marbled White (Melanargia galathea), Hutchinson's bank

Lacewing, Hutchinson's bank

Zebra spider, Bromley

Zebra spider, Bromley