This beautiful fly is often found close to woodland. As an adult it feeds on nectar and pollen but its larvae are endoparasitoid on moth and butterfly caterpillars causing their host's eventual death. This fly belongs to the family Tachinidae all of which are endoparasitoids on other insects. At a glance it can be mistaken for a greenbottle but differs in that it is covered in bristles.
An interesting video on tachinids can be found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5llTAwSVyeA
Good to see that you are on the move again. Mike
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