Help hoverflies: 5 top plants and 5 fun facts

There’s so much more to hoverflies than the high-pitched buzz in your greenhouse on a hot summer’s day, or the curious spectator hovering alongside you as you work in the garden, before zooming off to the nearest flower.

Did you know that hoverflies are the second most important pollinators after bees? Or that they visit 72% of food crops worldwide, and over 70% of animal-pollinated wild plants?

Be a hoverfly hero!

Hoverflies are the focus of our Wild About Gardens campaign for 2025, in partnership with The Wildlife Trusts. Find out more and get involved here

Though they only live for an average of around 12 days depending on species – and there are over 280 in the UK – hoverflies have an impressive work ethic, travelling greater distances and making more frequent flower visits than bees.

As well as being prolific pollinators, hoverflies include some species whose larve feed on aphids in our gardens, and others who break down waste organic material. Providing pollination

The transfer of pollen grains from a male anther to a female stigma, either within the same flower or between two different flowers. It’s usually followed by fertilisation and seed production. Some flowers are pollinated by insects or other small creatures, others are wind pollinated. It’s also possible to pollinate flowers by hand, if you want to breed new plants or ensure successful pollination when there are few natural pollinators.

, recycling services and natural management of aphids on our roses and broad beans, hoverflies are a true gardener’s friend.

However, research has shown that intensive agriculture, pesticides

Pesticides are substances designed to kill or control the growth and behaviour of living organisms. They are also known as plant protection products and include insecticides, fungicides, herbicides and molluscicides. The RHS doesn’t support the use of pesticides and recommends that gardeners use non-chemical control options whenever needed.

, urban development and climate change have caused UK hoverfly distribution to decline by 44% from 1980-2022, according to a Government report. Some hoverflies are now on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

With this in mind, why not give hoverflies a helping hand by including some of their favourite plants in your outdoor space. Take your pick from these top recommendations from RHS Senior Wildlife ExpertHelen Bostock.

Best plants for hoverflies

Viburnum opulus (guelder rose)

With an ultimate height of 8m and profusion of white blooms in spring, this deciduous

Deciduous refers to plants (mainly trees and shrubs) that lose their leaves seasonally, usually during autumn. This is a natural process triggered by the season's shorter days and lower temperatures and allows plants to conserve energy during the winter months.

shrub is perfect for the back of a border or a mixed hedge.

“Hoverflies don’t tend to be long-tongued, so need accessible platforms on which to access pollen. The flat clusters of lacecap-like flowers in late spring on this shrub are perfect,” says Helen.

Rubus fruticosus (blackberry)

Blackberries don’t just belong in the hedgerows and kitchen garden – they can be trained into all kinds of ornamental shapes against a wall or fence. The white or pale pink flowers will provide for hoverflies in early summer, before developing into fruits that will benefit a wide range of wildlife in late summer – and make a fine crumble too.

“Hoverflies love a wild bramble flower, but cultivated blackberries do a similar job and aren’t as vigorous,” says Helen. “You can train them up walls and even get thornless cultivars.”

Phacelia tanacetifolia (fiddleneck)

You’ll sometimes see this stunning plant grown in arable fields to improve the soil, where it creates a dreamy haze of purple-blue in summer. Growing some Phacelia in your veg patch or allotment will provide the same benefits, as well as looking gorgeous and providing a veritable feast for bees and hoverflies.

“Commonly grown as a green manure

Various fast-growing plants that are sown densely on bare ground, usually in vegetable plots, to protect the soil and suppress weeds. When the area is then required for crops, the green manure is dug into the soil to enrich it. A wide range of plants can be used, including alfalfa, red clover, mustard and fenugreek.

, the pollen, which pokes out of lavender-blue summer flowers on long filaments, is easily accessible. Leave some to bloom and dig the rest in, to improve soil,” says Helen.

Calluna vulgaris (heather)

A great choice for small spaces, heather can be grown in pots and window boxes to provide a long season of interest and pollinator

Anything that moves pollen e.g. from one flower to another. Insects such as bees are important pollinators.

provision.

“A good late summer- or autumn-flowering plant for a range of hoverflies, including Helophilus pendulus – known as the footballer due to black football-shirt-like stripes on its thorax,” says Helen. “Heathers can be grown in ericaceous

Plants that thrive in acid or ericaceous soil, which has a pH of less than 7 (neutral). You can measure your soil pH using a simple testing kit. Ericaceous or acid-loving plants include rhododendrons, camellias, heathers and blueberries.

compost

Can refer to either home-made garden compost or seed/potting compost: Garden compost is a soil improver made from decomposed plant waste, usually in a compost bin or heap. It is added to soil to improve its fertility, structure and water-holding capacity. Seed or potting composts are used for growing seedlings or plants in containers - a wide range of commercially produced peat-free composts are available, made from a mix of various ingredients, such as loam, composted bark, coir and sand, although you can mix your own.

in pots if your soil isn’t acidic.”

Hedera helix (common ivy)

Also featured in our top 10 plants for specialist bees, ivy is an invaluable plant for wildlife, doesn’t harm trees as is sometimes believed, and even helps to keep buildings cooler and less damp.

By allowing some ivy to grow on a wall, fence or tree, you are providing a hotel for invertebrates as well as a late-season buffet for hoverflies and bees such as the ivy bee.

“The nectar

Sweet liquid mainly produced by flowers to attract pollinators. Honeybees make honey from nectar.

and pollen is held on the surface of the flower – you can see it glistening – which is perfect for hoverflies and many other autumn-flying pollinators. A late, great supply of nectar and pollen,” says Helen.

• Top 12 plants for autumn pollinators

Hoverfly plants by season

Aim to pick at least one of these plants for each season to support hoverflies throughout the year.

Spring

Summer

Autumn

Five fun facts about hoverflies

1. Hoverflies can travel hundreds of kilometres a day. They can also carry pollen over distances greater than 100 kilometres over open water.
2. Some male hoverflies defend a patch of sunlight, claiming it as their territory. Male pied plumehorns hover at head height in beams of sunlight, chasing off other males and waiting for passing females.
3. The batman hoverfly is named for the dark marking on its thorax, which often looks remarkably like the logo of its superhero namesake.
4. You can tell the sex of most hoverflies by looking at the eyes. If they meet in the middle of the head, it’s a male. If there’s a gap between them, it’s a female. There are some exceptions, such as the footballer hoverfly – both sexes of this species have a gap between the eyes.
5. The colour of some hoverflies can vary depending on the temperature at which the larvae develop. Cooler conditions produce darker adults.

How to spot a hoverfly

So how do you tell a hoverfly from other true flies? Many hoverflies are black and yellow, with a fairly broad, oval body. But they can also be long and thin, dark, shiny or even furry.

To be certain, you can study the wings. The wings of flies are crossed by dark lines known as veins. These help support the shape of the wing. Hoverflies have an extra line, called the ‘vena spuria’. It’s not always easy to see, but this is one of the best indicators that you’re looking at a hoverfly. Another good sign is the presence of two veins running across the wing, near the tip.

Be a hoverfly hero!

Hoverflies are the focus of our Wild About Gardens campaign for 2025, in partnership with The Wildlife Trusts. Find out more and get involved here