Marmalade Fly

Name: Marmalade Fly

Scientific name: Episyrphus balteatus

Category: Minibeasts

Nature Stars: 20

What are nature stars?

About: A very common hoverfly, about 1cm long and mainly orange, with thin black bands across the body. Adults are on the wing right through the year, although in largest numbers in the summer when. They feed on nectar, often gathering in very large numbers on flowers like tansy, ragwort and cow parsley. The larvae are predators of aphids. As well as being a common breeding fly, in some years huge numbers migrate here from the continent: in these years, enormous numbers can be seen busily feeding on flowers near the coast.

How to identify: The commonest and most familiar hoverfly, easily identifiable by the orange body with thick and thin black bands.

Where: Widespread

Natural Superpowers

• Predator: 10
• Agility: 80
• Rarity: 20
• Cute factor: 30
• Traveller: 60

Fantastic fact: The Marmalade Fly gets its name from its orange colour, with different sized bands: thin cut, thick cut, just like marmalade!

Photograph credit: Photo credit tbc