Hoverfly on a water lily bloom

by Lesley
(Devon)

Hoverfly on a water lily

This picture of a hoverfly on my water lily is one of my favourite pictures.

I took it with a Nikon Coolpix and used the macro setting to get up close and personal. It was a bright sunny day when the picture was taken, so there's a nice contrast on the petals of the flower.


Hoverflies look a bit like wasps but are perfectly harmless and in fact are a gardener's friend as their larvae have a voracious appetite for aphids and other pests. They are used as a bio-control, a natural way of reducing the levels of pests.

They hover like little helicopters around any nectar plants that you have in the garden. These include things like hebe, buddleia, alyssum, statice, sedum and cotoneaster.

By planting shrubs and flowers that have lots of nectar you can encourage these amazing insects into your garden. At the same time you can help the bees by providing pesticide free oasis for them to feed and rest.

As a bonus you will also attract butterflies and your garden will be buzzing with life.