Of Beards And Moustaches

I wondered a while ago what insects the sweet Williams would attract. This marmalade hoverfly seems to like the blooms. There's a slight connection. The scientific name of sweet William is Dianthus barbatus, meaning bearded. The flower head is like a spiky beard before the buds burst. The patterns on the marmalade hoverfly's abdomen have been described as moustache-like. 

Marmalade has made me think of Paddington Bear and our late Queen. Also of MrQ. Clarinet Marmalade (no ads) is a jazz standard from 1918 that he loved. His idol Sid Philips and his Great Jazz Band released an album of that name.

The velvet mites like the sweet William too.  Every one of the plants that came up from the seeds I sowed last year are white, which I like.