Scorpion flies occur in wooded areas and ravines with dense vegetation. Adults feed on mainly dead insects, which they frequently steal from the webs of spiders.
Courtship behavior involves males vibrating their wings rapidly in front of the female. Mating can be a dangerous time for the male, if he is not careful the female might decide to eat him. To avoid this he presents her with a gift of a drop of saliva, which in the world of scorpion flies, is the equivalent of a bunch of roses or a box of chocolates.
The photograph was taken in our garden. Finding scorpion flies there at this time of the year is fairly common. However, they are shy creatures and thus difficult to capture.