Tachina ferox Hutchinson's bank
From Steve Falk
One of our most familiar tachinids, a medium-large (body length 10-14 mm), robust species with an orange abdomen bearing a conspicuous dark medium stripe (about one-quarter the width of the abdomen but variable) and a weak pattern of dusting on the thorax. Females have the legs (including all femora) orange with darker fore tarsi, but males have the femora black except the tips. The male frons is about one-quarter the head width, that of the female is about one-third, and the male frons rarely has any orbitals. The tarsi of all legs are generally orange throughout, and the front tarsi of females are clearly broadened. The male front and mid tarsi have the claws almost as long as the 4th and 5th tarsal segments combined. T. magnicornis is extremely similar but with much darker tarsi (the female fore tarsi not as broad as female T. fera), a broader frons (that of female about two-fifths the head width, that of male one-third or slightly more), the male frons with 1-3 proclinate orbitals and female femora black at the base.

T. fera is widespread and common, often the most conspicuous tachinid at a site. It occurs in a variety of habitats including woodland, wetlands, heathland. post-industrial sites, field margins and urban settings, especially where the vegetation is lusher. Adults fly from April to October and can be especially common in late summer and early autumn. They visit a tremendous range of flowers including spring-blossoming shrubs, umbellifers, mints, scabiouses, thistles, ragworts, knapweeds, goldenrods, Yarrow, Hemp Agrimony, Ivy and assorted garden Asteraceae and sedums. Hosts are noctuids including Ceramici pisi (Broom Moth), Cosmia trapezina (Dun-bar) and Orthosia cruda (Small Quaker).