Jun 28
Thick-headed Fly (Physocephala tibialis), taken June 12, 2026, in Georgia, US
A very cool-looking fly resting beside a busy flower cluster! This species is such an awesome case of mimicry—I could tell what this guy was trying to be immediately. Most wasp-mimics go for parasitic species or paper wasps, but this species went for a potter wasp. The dark cells of the wing that form the shape of a wasp's wing are especially cool, likely to make it so birds will only see the wasp-like wing silhouette from afar and steer clear of this fly. Like most wasp mimics, they feed on the same plants as their models and likely move similarly, further selling the act!
