At one of my local walking spots a new path has been cut that runs close to a reed bed at the side of a stream, then along the edge of a woodland. The vegetation edging the path is lush, providing food and perching places for insects, and that’s where I found these two Marsh snipeflies (Rhagio tringarius). ‘My, what big eyes you have!’

Although there are six Rhagio species in Britain, four have dark markings on their wings and one is quite rare, so it was relatively easy to narrow down my identification to Rhagio tringarius (and my record has now been confirmed by an expert). Snipeflies can often be founding perching on leaves and twigs, always on the look out for the smaller insects they prey on.