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Hi,

One pic of this only, taken on 2nd August 2009 on Ragwort. Wing length, and spots on T2 with apparently narrow bands leads me to something other than S. scripta, maybe Sphaerophoria fatarum?

Roadside outside my house, near Lincoln UK.

Janet:)

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I now wonder if this could be Sphaerophoria batava.

I have pics from two or three days either side of this one which look to be the same female.

I guess I will have to still wonder on these.;)

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Sorry, but winglength is not a character in the females. This is Sph. spec.

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There have been a series of very nice dipteran images posted here over the last few days nectaring on Ragwort.
Ragwort is an important plant for insects as all we entomologists know. Unfortunately there has been a campaign against it in the UK fuelled by hysteria and misinformation. You are likely to find, for example that your local council has information on its website
which encourages its destruction when it is not necessary. It is also likely that the information is just plain wrong. Mine thought it was a foreign invasive weed and had it listed for eradication with Japanese Knotweed.

There are a number of websites which I would encourage people to read. These give facts and science to counter this problem.

Ragwort page at Buglife
Ragwort Facts
Ragwort dot org
Ragwort the sense and the nonsense
Ragwort myths and facts

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Hear hear :)

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Wholeheartedly supported! I left my roadside front to grow wild this year, the council cut a narrow swathe only once next to the road. I had planted some Corydline australis interspersed with Pampas Grass along the top edge of the roadside drain which is on my property, and planted all the self set ferns I had been saving for years down the slope to the drain.

This was a two fold cause, one to provide food and shelter for wildlife as well as to allow natural wildflowers to grow. Secondly and least important was to cut down on the need for a tidy front. To see Ragwort growing there, as well as a few other wildflowers was great. I had a wide variety of insects visit them. Now I have sown seeds of other wildflowers (collected by a friend) in pots and some in part of my garden for wildlife. A very rewarding thing to do!

Thanks Andre, my female does look a little different though to me anyway.;)

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Well Blowave. I'd look out. Seeing where you live I did a search on Lincolnshires website with google ( site:lincolnshire.gov.uk ragwort ) and came up with these gems from Parish Council minutes

"Councillor Atkinson drew attention to the amount of Ragwort on the highway verges, including the A17 by-pass, which each year is increasing, because of its non-removal and the concern of horse owners in view of the danger of such weeds.
RESOLVED that the Clerk be requested to write to the highways authority to ask for arrangements to be made for the removal of the weeds. "

AND

"Councillor Spencer raised concern about the land at the back of the churchyard and the amount of ragwort growing in it."

What the hell harm is it doing in these cases! Just remember this is the stuff that made its way into the offical record not all the damage being done to habitats. Do the guys cleaning up roadsides know the difference between ragwort and other similar plants.
I doubt it!

Incidentally having looked into it, and I am still trying to find the best statistics , an animal is about as likely to be poisoned by ragwort as it is to be killed by lightening.

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You have a very good point there about all the other damage to nature which is NOT recorded!

I have had this argument elsewhere, against someone who's job it was to satisfy the interests of those providing the hay for horses. I say it's a biased argument, and if it is a problem to some then it is their personal responsibilty to control it on their own proerty and not elsewhere. This type of person tends to use selective arguments, missing out all the other vital evidence and facts.

There are horses being kept in the paddocks across the road from me, and Ragwort grows in an unused gateway so luckily that's probably where it came from. The horses I doubt would eat it anyway as a growing plant, they may eat it in hay which as already said is the responsibilty of the person providing the hay.

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I thought you might like to see another pic of what looks to be the same female Spaerophoria, with a Conops quadrifasciatus in the same pic. This was on 30th July. I saw both male and female Conops on the Ragwort, and got a lot of pics of them mating. Ragwort is very popular with many insects!

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Glad you brought this issue up Neil!
I'll join the supportive ranks against the witch hunt of Ragwort and for any other prosecuted wild flower.

Ragwort is indeed a very valuable plant, food source for a large diversity of insects!

This thread about Ragwort on 'Wild About The World' might interest you..:) I think it's the one Janet was talking about ;)
It all starts with a caterpillar id. request but a few posts further an interesting discussion develops..
http://www.wildab...gwort.html