It’s not particularly uncommon, though the Shire is probably towards the northern and western end of its range, and this specimen is a bit battered, but the sight of a Chrysotoxum hoverfly always lifts my spirits. All of them are black and yellow wasp mimics, and all have these distinctively long, black antennae, which make me think of rabbit ears.
Within the genus, five species are superficially similar and are often said to be difficult to separate, though personally I think that’s overstating the case. This is Chrysotoxum cautum, which is the biggest of the five, with a wing length of up to 13mm. Males such as this are especially distinctive if you see them from the right angle, because their genital capsule is so disproportionately big you’d be forgiven for wondering if they were suffering from mumps.
R: C1 D16
