A rather large fly, about a half inch in length. Thorax is brown, head is white with large brown eyes, abdomen is black, with stiff bristles. The adult is a rather ugly butterfly-wannabe, sipping nectar and pollinating flowers. It doesn't bother people and rarely invades houses. The larva or maggot, however, is a B-movie monster. The female lays her eggs on a caterpillar host. When the eggs hatch, the maggots burrow into the caterpillar and devour it from the inside.

A native of much of North and South America, common wherever they are fragrant nectar-bearing flowers, including Wildwood. Because many of the hosts for its maggots are agricultural pests it is considered a beneficial insect.

Sometimes mistaken for a bumblebee because of its large size and color scheme. However, close inspection will show it's obvious fly-like appearance and stiff bristles. Its flower-sipping, people-ignoring habits also rule out other, more offensive, flies. However, there are other related tachinids that cannot be distinguished except by very close inspection.