Bee Fly

Bee-fly, Bombylius major, on gorse.  West Wickham Common, 19 March 2012.

This is a hasty snap taken with my Ixus 100. I was so pleased to see a Bee Fly, something I have only seen once before, early last year, that I quickly took as many as I could of the fast-moving creature (while longing for my EOS 60D!).

Bee flies are true flies that look like bumblebees. Their nimbus of honey-coloured fur and long penetrating proboscis are quite distinctive as they whizz from flower to flower. It was a sunny day and I also saw honeybees and two different species of queen bumblebee on the bright yellow gorse.  Spring!