Eastern hornet fly (Spilomyia longicornis)

An eastern hornet fly feeding on white wildflowers at Mason Neck, Virginia, in September 2013. Yellow bands on black and smoky wings: at a glance it is a yellowjacket. It is actually a hoverfly, with no sting and only one pair of wings. Flies have short, stubby antennae and wasps have long dark ones, so this species fakes them with its legs. It holds its dark front legs up and waves them in front of its head like antennae, and when threatened it flutters its wings and bends its abdomen as if to sting. Look for it on late-summer flowers across the eastern United States.