This is a Bee Fly, family Bombyliidae, sub-family Anthracenae, feeding on Gaillardia pulchella. Nectar- and pollen-lovers, Bee Flies protect themselves from predators by mimicking bees in appearance. Perhaps predators ignore them to avoid a sting! Bee Fly larvae are parasitoids on earth-dwelling larvae of other insects. The two-toned wings are beautiful as is the subtle shading on the body.
Here is a Bee Fly, genus Geron, feeding on Gaillardia on August 1, 2022. The genus name may come from that thorax that creates a hump-backed appearance, a "dowager's hump." No doubt the word "gerontology" is related.
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