Big hoverfly!

This splendid large hoverfly visited our garden this afternoon and spent some time sunning itself on some Honesty seedpods. It is Volucella inanis, not our largest hoverfly (the related V. zonaria), but impressive nevertheless. It's a species that used to be restricted to southern England, but is now spreading north successfully. The extra photograph shows its rather striking yellow face with large brown compound eyes. As the eyes are well separated, I think this is a female.