Hornet Mimic Volucella zonaria
e6filmuser
Registered Users Posts: 3,379 Major grins
I see this species in my garden at least once every year but cannot always catch up with it to take a photograph. It is the largest hoverfly I find, the hornet mimicry protecting it when it enters wasp (Vespula) nest to lay its eggs. It is also the third species I have photographed in my garden this year.
I got two flash shots of it on a Buddleia but it took a dislike to my presence when I tried to change the camera to daylight exposure. I followed it to where it had landed, which would have made a perfect setting, but it took off again and could not be located.
I recently posted images of V. inanis which is of similar appearance but smaller, with segments 2 to 4 of the abdomen wide and yellow. V. zonaria has the second segment brownish, which is not obvious in this image but can be seen in the less-sharp other image, not shown here. As a check on the size of the fly, I measured the flowers at about 4mm, making the hoverfly nearly 20mm long, far too big for the smaller species.
EM-1, Kiron 105mm f16, twin TTL flash, hand-held.
I cropped about a third of the frame off left side, as it was just darkness.
Harold
I got two flash shots of it on a Buddleia but it took a dislike to my presence when I tried to change the camera to daylight exposure. I followed it to where it had landed, which would have made a perfect setting, but it took off again and could not be located.
I recently posted images of V. inanis which is of similar appearance but smaller, with segments 2 to 4 of the abdomen wide and yellow. V. zonaria has the second segment brownish, which is not obvious in this image but can be seen in the less-sharp other image, not shown here. As a check on the size of the fly, I measured the flowers at about 4mm, making the hoverfly nearly 20mm long, far too big for the smaller species.
EM-1, Kiron 105mm f16, twin TTL flash, hand-held.
I cropped about a third of the frame off left side, as it was just darkness.
Harold
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