Scorpion flies can be found between May and September. They are approximately 1.5 cm long with a wingspan of about 3 cm. They have two pairs of transparent wings with some dark spots. The body is yellow and black.
The most noteworthy feature of males is an enlarged tail that closely resembles a scorpion’s sting. This may sound dangerous, but in fact scorpion flies have no string and no ability to inflict harm. The red tip of the abdomen is its genital. The male uses it to entice the female in a fancy display of courtship, then to clasp her during the mating process.
Eggs are laid in the soil. The offspring, which look like caterpillars, spend their infancy until they mature the following spring.
The specimen in my photograph is a male.