Hoverflies in the Swaledale Sunshine
This afternoon I took advantage of the glorious warm weather here in Swaledale and set out for a walk with my camera in tow. It’s been a hot day, and the sunshine seemed to bring every wildflower and insect to life — the air buzzing with movement and colour.
Among the hedgerows and meadows, I was drawn to the delicate, umbrella-shaped flowers of the umbellifers, which were absolutely teeming with hoverflies. I ended up spending quite a while observing and photographing them — their bold black and yellow markings catching the light beautifully as they flitted between blossoms.
Hoverflies are often mistaken for bees or wasps due to their colouring, but they’re completely harmless and actually serve an important role as pollinators. They also eat aphids in their larval stage, making them a great natural pest control. From a photographic point of view, they’re a real treat to capture — full of detail, movement, and life.
It’s days like this that remind me why I love photographing nature here in Swaledale. Even on a short afternoon walk, there’s so much going on if you just slow down and look closely. Every flower was alive with tiny drama, and every patch of sunlight revealed something worth noticing.
Here are a few of my favourite images from today — close-ups of these amazing little creatures going about their business in the summer heat.
