Hornet Robberfly

I took the day off work to go and look for butterflies on the Southerham reserve near Lewes. In particular I was hoping to see the Clouded Yellow which was reported on the Downs over the weekend. It seemed like it might be the last good day for butterflies this season. I found quite a few species: speckled wood, peacock, red admiral (of which there were quite large numbers), small copper, small heath, meadow brown, common blue, large heath, silver spotted skipper..... but no clouded yellow.

However all was not lost. On the return walk to Lewes I spotted this hornet robberfly. The Hornet robberfly is a very large predatory fly (I think its Britain's largest fly) which feeds on grasshoppers, beetles, moths, wasps, bees etc and breeds on cattle dung. It is categorised as a nationally notable (scarce) species and is on the priority list for UK BAP. It is a stunning insect to watch as it hunts its prey.