How do you describe a dark-edged bee-fly (Bombylius major)? I asked a colleague whether I could get away with “flying mole”. She suggested “flying teddy bear” instead. And then there is the unmistakable similarity to a hummingbird. Go into a garden, or anywhere flowery, during a sunny interlude, and you can decide for yourself.
Here in our village, bee-flies are easy to see in numerous sheltered spots at the moment, to-ing and fro-ing between the ranks of grape hyacinths and primroses. They are diminutive bee mimics, with rotund bodies covered in fuzz, making them look like effervescent fluffy balls of nervous energy.
