Posts Tagged: crane fly

Crane Flies: Slender and Long-Legged

Some folks call them "mosquito hawks" or "skeeter eaters" or "blood suckers."

They're not. None of the above. Crane flies, in the family Tipulidae, don't prey on mosquitoes and they don't suck blood. 

These slender, long-legged insects remind us of runway models. Thin. Demure. Fragile.

Any similarity, though, ends when you see them fly. They fly rather clumsily, wobbly even. 

You've probably seen them around your home, garden or business office. If you do, they're easy to photograph!

Crane fly resting on a stucco wall. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Crane fly resting on a stucco wall. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

From above, the crane fly looks like all legs. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

From above, the crane fly looks like all legs. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Long and Gangly

The crane fly is as long-legged and slender as a runway model, but as gangly as a teenager.

The insect, from the family Tipulidae, is sometimes called daddy long-legs (not!) or a skeeter eater (not!). 

They don't eat mosquitoes and they don't bite. The adults sip nectar. Sometimes when you head out to the garden in the early morning, you'll find them resting on a plant--probably been there all night.

This one (below) was clutching salvia and waiting for a little warmth from the morning sun.

Crane fly resting on salvia. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Crane fly resting on salvia. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Not Your Basic Giant Mosquito

It looks like a giant mosquito.

But it isn't.

It's a crane fly (family Tipulidae), also known as a "mosquito hawk."

It's a slender, long-legged insect that cats  like to target.  Our cat, Xena the Warrior Princess, loves to bat them out of the air--and then look around for more.

Most crane flies "feed on decaying organic matter, but some are predaceous or feed on living plants such as mosses," according to entomologists Jerry Powell and Charles Hogue in their guidebook, California Insects.

Don't worry. This gangly mosquito-like insect won't feed on you. You're safe.

Crane fly

CRANE FLY, also known as a "mosquito hawk," nestles among the blades of grass. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Turning Over a New Leaf

For my New Year's resolution, I resolve to turn over a new leaf.

Oh, sure, most folks resolve to eat less, exercise more, drink less, read more, stress less, save more, gripe less, and volunteer more.

Not me.

I'm turning over a new leaf.

You never know what kind of insect you'll find there or what kind of insect will "pose" for you.

Happy New Year! (And may one of your resolutions involve "turning over a new leaf.")

Praying Mantis

TURN OVER A NEW LEAF--and there's a praying mantis. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Crane Fly

TURN OVER A NEW LEAF--and there's a crane fly, also known as a mosquito hawk. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Ladybug

TURN OVER A NEW LEAF--and there's a ladybug, aka lady beetle. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)