Spring epistrophe
Males and females of this early hoverfly look different enough that a female's neat gold bars can turn into an almost solid black abdomen in males.
| Where | Woodland edges, hedgerows and gardens |
|---|---|
| Size | 10 to 11 mm body length |
| When | March to June |
It has a shining bronze thorax and a dark abdomen crossed by gold bars, one of them split in two; females show the pattern clearly while males, whose eyes meet at the top of the head, often show a fainter or incomplete version.
It is one of the earliest hoverflies of the year, flying along woodland edges, hedgerows and gardens, where its aphid-eating larvae develop on the leaves of trees and shrubs.
Traits
Habitat
Woodland
Colour
Brown, Yellow, Metallic
Active
Day
To people
Harmless
Activity through the year
Often confused with
Its hind legs are almost entirely yellow and it lacks the split, unequal abdominal bars that mark Epistrophe eligans.
Questions
Is the Spring epistrophe dangerous to people?
The Spring epistrophe is harmless to people.
When can you see the Spring epistrophe?
The Spring epistrophe can be seen from March to June, by day.
Plate retouched from a photo by Michael Knapp, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons Licence
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Last updated 2026-09-26. Every entry is checked against published sources.