Sadly the marmalade fly didn’t get its name for being the equivalent of Paddington Bear! It is because of its lovely marmalade colour.
It is one of the few hoverflies in the UK with an English name (rather than only being referred to as its Latin name). This is because it is a very common hoverfly, that can easily be seen in gardens, parks and sunny woodlands.
As adults, they feed on nectar from wild plants such as tansy, ragwort and cow parsley. They are really useful friends un the garden though because their larvae are ferocious predators of those pesky aphids!
By River Six
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