Cheilosia vernalis (Fallén, 1817)

Identification

Identification difficulty = 3. according to Ball & Morris, 2024¹

Biology

The larva is thought to tunnel in the stems of Yarrow Achillea millefolium, mayweeds Matricaria sp., Goatsbeard Tragopogon pratensis and sow thistles Sonchus sp. Adults are usually found on low-growing Asteraceae or white umbels in open, flowery situations such as dry grassland, heathland margins, road verges and waste ground. Also in grassy clearings in woodland and in dunes.

Flight period

The following plots show the number of unique records per week that were not reported to be of eggs, larvae or pupae.

Distribution

Widespread and frequent in southern Britain. Less frequent in the north, with records extending to northern Scotland.

Trends

The following plots show the Frescalo TFactor vs year and a map of the rescaled frequency (all records) for the species. For an explanation see here.