You could easily be fooled into thinking you were looking at a fly when you first saw the hoverfly Ferdinandea cuprea – I’m happy to admit I was. Fortunately, it looked unusual enough – and was settled enough – for me to take a few photos and, when I got home and looked more closely at those on my laptop, I realised this was no ordinary fly.

Now that I’ve seen one and know what to look for, I can agree with what’s written in my Britain’s Hoverflies guide book: ‘An instantly recognisable and very attractive hoverfly with a metallic, brassy abdomen, grey stripes running along the thorax, wing markings and yellow legs’. Ferdinandea cuprea favours wooded areas, mostly in southern parts of Britain and are, apparently, quite common. I presume I’ve been overlooking them for years!