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bardofely
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Location: Playa San Marcos, Tenerife
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 Post subject: Hoverflies - the gardener's friend |
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In the photo is a mated pair of hoverflies of the species Spaerophoria scripta. I am fortunate to have got a colony living happily on my balcony where they keep the aphids down to a level that is allowing the plants to do OK. The larvae are small sluglike aphid-eating machines and crawl around finding them. They especially like the orangey yellow Oleander aphids. They are called hoverflies because they hover and are wonderful to watch.
The photo has been magnified a lot. They are only about half and inch long if that.
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Wed Aug 06, 2008 9:09 pm
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andyfowles
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Location: Woking, Home of McLaren F1 Racing. Driven by the winner of the F1 drivers championship 2008.
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Bard,
Another great photo. You'll be well aware that we have hover flies (that's at least what we call them) in the UK and I don't know what species they are (if in fact they're related to the Tenerife ones at all)
They look a little like small wasps but their flight is completely different i.e. hovering
I can't believe you got a photo of them mating  They're obviously very 'at home' on your balcony.
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Wed Aug 06, 2008 9:30 pm
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bardofely
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Location: Playa San Marcos, Tenerife
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| andyfowles wrote: | Bard,
Another great photo. You'll be well aware that we have hover flies (that's at least what we call them) in the UK and I don't know what species they are (if in fact they're related to the Tenerife ones at all)
They look a little like small wasps but their flight is completely different i.e. hovering
I can't believe you got a photo of them mating They're obviously very 'at home' on your balcony. |
Yes, there are loads of different types but they all hover. Some look more like bees than wasps.
And yes, my balcony has provided a perfect world for this species. The aphids arrived to eat the Milkweed I grow for the Monarch caterpillars and Hoverflies arrived to eat the aphids. The spiders have arrived to eat whatever they can catch and I have found they will eat baby caterpillars.
An Antlion was here again the other night but I had to rescue it from my cat Tiggy who wanted to eat it!
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Wed Aug 06, 2008 9:39 pm
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andyfowles
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| bardofely wrote: | | An Antlion was here again the other night but I had to rescue it from my cat Tiggy who wanted to eat it! |
 Survival of the 'fastest' or should that be fittest
So let's see Tiggy then, post a piccy or two, please.
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Wed Aug 06, 2008 10:01 pm
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bardofely
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Location: Playa San Marcos, Tenerife
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| andyfowles wrote: | | bardofely wrote: | | An Antlion was here again the other night but I had to rescue it from my cat Tiggy who wanted to eat it! |
Survival of the 'fastest' or should that be fittest
So let's see Tiggy then, post a piccy or two, please. |
old photos - she is bigger and fatter now but I call her Little Tigg!
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Wed Aug 06, 2008 10:34 pm
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MaryJ
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Location: Chesterfield, Derbyshire
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Wonderful picture and article about the hoverflies Bard, thanks for that.
And great to see what Tiggy looks like at last.
You mention her so often, I wondered what she was like.
She is beautiful.
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Thu Aug 07, 2008 7:34 pm
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andyfowles
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Thanks for that Bard. Tiggy looks absolutely gorgous. What lovely markings and a fantastic, healthy looking coat. I could cuddle her all day long (but cat's don't let you do that normally )
I'm so glad you posted her for us all to see
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Thu Aug 07, 2008 7:48 pm
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bardofely
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Location: Playa San Marcos, Tenerife
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| MaryJ wrote: | Wonderful picture and article about the hoverflies Bard, thanks for that.
And great to see what Tiggy looks like at last.
You mention her so often, I wondered what she was like.
She is beautiful. |
Thank you again, Mary!
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Thu Aug 07, 2008 10:26 pm
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bardofely
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| andyfowles wrote: | Thanks for that Bard. Tiggy looks absolutely gorgous. What lovely markings and a fantastic, healthy looking coat. I could cuddle her all day long (but cat's don't let you do that normally )
I'm so glad you posted her for us all to see |
Thank you too, Andy! I agree!
Tiggy loves cuddles but she is also very bossy - she wakes me up most mornings and won't let me go back to sleep and also she will bite me in the leg gently if I do not pay attention and feed her and she eats far too much! 
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Thu Aug 07, 2008 10:31 pm
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