This little hoverfly, Meliscaeva auricollis, looks almost as though the abdomen is made of glass! As with some other species it took the camera to produce an image large enough for me to get an identification and this photograph reveals a central grey line running down the abdomen with the black markings making triangular shapes either side of the central line - that is enough to be able to put a name to it.
It can be seen almost any time throughout the year depending on the weather but, as with many insects, the numbers peak in late summer when umbel flowers such as hogweed and angelica are at their best. This species prefers woodland edge habitat and it was along the fringes of a wooded strip by the River Piddle on Wareham Common that I found and photographed this specimen.
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