This lovely hoverfly is easy to recognise with a chestnut, white and black bands on its abdomen. More...

Over the next month look out for Leucozona lucorum, one of the 100 Indicator Species for the Local Nature Recovery Strategy being used to monitor the state of biodiversity in Leicestershire and Rutland. You're most likely to find it basking in patches of sunshine on lush herbaceous vegetation in damp woodland and wooded areas. Adults can be found feeding on nectar and particularly like to visit white flowers such as Bramble and Hogweed. To put off predators they mimic White-tailed Bumblebees, Bombus lucorum. The larvae are aphid-eaters, making them highly beneficial for natural pest control.