Hulking...

After an early morning trip to the tip I had a day of report writing, broken up by trips round the garden, which is buzzing now that the marjoram and common knapweed are in full bloom - so many bees, butterflies and hoverflies, including this magnificent Hornet Hoverfly - the largest hoverfly in the UK.  

The larvae of the Hornet hoverfly can live happily in the nests of social wasps without getting stung! The hoverfly larvae eat the debris and rubbish in the wasp nest and in return the wasps have a free cleaner. This type of relationship where one species benefits and the other is unaffected is called commensalism or symbiosis.

This spectacular hoverfly first colonised Britain in the early 1940s, and was once regarded as rare. Since then it has become well established in London, the South and South East of England. As the climate warms the fly is heading north and has now been recorded in Cheshire.

In the evening we went over to Chris and Lizzy's for a splendid Thai take-away to celebrate her birthday. It certainly seemed easier to go there rather than try and clear the mounds of assorted rubbish off our dining table!