My street Ivy, Caerau

 

After the first frost on Monday, I thought that would be the end of the hoverfly season. But the Ivy at the top of my street is only now starting to bloom (quite late), all the other Ivy in Caerau has gone over. I will be able to keep an eye on this whenever there is a bright spell until the end of November.

Today there were seven species present over 20 minutes at mid-day. With latest dates for Melanostoma scalare (4), Platycheirus albimanus, Meliscaeva auricollis, Eristalis tenax (5) and Sericomyia silentis. The other two species were Episyrphus balteatus (3) and Eristalis pertinax and the most numerous was Eristalis tenax (5).

A few other insects were also present in Honey Bee (60), Green Shieldbug (1) and a late Red Admiral (1).

Eristalis tenax

Sericomyia silentis

Red Admiral

Ivy hanging on

 About 30% of the Ivy in Caerau is about to or yet to open, so hoverfly recording could go on until mid November providing we don't have any frosts. I am still getting double figures in species while previous records for November is a meagre 4 species. A late Xanthandrus comtus was probably my last year tick this year (103). There are still some nice hoverflies about including migrants like Scaeva pyrastri.

Scaeva pyrastri

Sericomyia silentis 

There are still plenty of Common Wasp and Honey Bee about as well as the odd Green Shieldbug.