The Downland Villa, Villa cingulata, a nationally rare species of Bee-fly once thought extinct in the UK, was spotted last week on a Herefordshire Wildlife Trust nature reserve by local naturalist, Ian Draycott. This is the first time it has been recorded in Herefordshire since 1904.

This invertebrate looks, at first glance, like a small bee but is in fact a species of fly. A healthy population has now been discovered at White Rocks nature reserve on the Doward, in the open areas of a mostly wooded landscape in the south of the county.

Ian Draycott, who identified the fly, is an expert on the flora and fauna of the Doward. He said: “At first I thought it was a strange hoverfly but its characteristic delta shaped wings and absence of a waist suggested otherwise.”

Martin Harvey, who runs the National Diptera Recording Scheme for the Biological Records Centre, said: “Villa Cingulata has been spreading since its rediscovery in 2000, and new sites are being reported each year, but this is the furthest north-west it has been recorded after recent records in Worcestershire and Gloucestershire.”

Herefordshire Wildlife Trust’s Pete Johnson added: “So many species are becoming more scarce nationally. It’s great to find a species thriving and expanding its range. Some may think that this is not be the most exciting animal but tiny creatures are just as fascinating as larger ones and are just as important to a healthy eco-system.”

White Rocks nature reserve is open to the public year-round and is adjacent to the Doward Park campsite and café.

For more information, please visit the website: www.herefordshirewt.org/reserves/white-rocks