The bee-fly is a true sprite of spring

Croft Castle, Herefordshire The noble parasite is an actor in the uncanny drama of life feeding on lifeShe looks like a fly in a fur coat; her wings made of clear cellophane with black bat markings; her syringe proboscis not for piercing flesh but sipping nectar; she is either a blur of speed or a full stop. The bee-fly is a chimera of contradictions and as true a sprite of spring as any of the animals associated with the season.
Sunlight forms pools under the ancient trees in the park at Croft