There have been lots of good flies buzzing round the reserve at the moment. Many are predatory and are on the look out for another unsuspecting insect or bug to devour. Thankfully only a few have a taste for us humans!
This pretty little thing is Poecilobothrus nobilitatus and like many insects it only has a scientific name. It can be quite easy to see in the cordite woodland, as it waits for prey to pass it by.
This hairy critter is Scathophaga stercoraria but she does have an English name - the Yellow Dung Fly. She (eyes wide apart!) may spend most of her time hanging round cow pats but she is not after the dung but any other insects that come to feed on it as she is a type of Robber Fly and grasps prey with those strong front legs. She will also lay he eggs in the dung and the the cycle continues.
Images by Craig Burnett