Gardener’s Little Helper

Large hover fly, Melangyna novaezelandiae, a New Zealand native. This little fly is only about 10mm long, but it is called “large” to distinguish it from a similar one that is half the size. The adults feed on pollen and nectar and do a good job of pollination. You can see the load of pollen clinging to its body hair. The larvae feed on aphids and scale insects.

Once again the flower is Angelica, which although not beautiful in itself, is very attractive to all sorts of insects.