Stripey fly

Xanthogramma pedissequum

The generally chilly weather we've had this spring seems to have put a bit of a damper on insect numbers in the garden, but I found this unfamiliar hoverfly warming itself on a south-facing leaf yesterday. It's Xanthogramma pedissequum, and it's new for the garden. The yellow striping along the edges of the thorax (the fly's "shoulders", if you will) is distinctive, as are the triangular yellow spots on near the fly's "waist" (tergite #2, if you're being specific) and the dark leading edge to the wings. This handsome insect is most common in the summer (particularly in June), but can be seen as early as March and as late as the end of September. It's a widespread southern species, common south of a line between the Wash and southern Wales, with scattered records as far north as central Scotland. Though primarily a grassland resident, it is sometimes found along paths in more wooded areas. Much of its life history is little known, but its larvae are thought to live in the nests of black or yellow ants. It typically flies close to the ground and feeds on low-growing flowers, but is most often seen, as this one was, perched on foliage somewhere. It's the first new insect of 2022!