This small fly was sitting outside, in the shade, on a cold wall. I didn't recognize it as a crane fly until I enlarged my photos; I'm used to the big ones that have been around all summer and are now gone. This one is just a bit over 1/4", not counting the legs.
Winter Crane Fly, Trichocera.
I found plenty of them on BugGuide, scattered all over the continent. And no wonder it doesn't mind the cold; it plans to spend the winter. All the ones I checked on BugGuide were dated from December to February,
even in Ontario.
Wow. Great timing. I saw something crane-fly-like outside my window 2 days ago but it was not giant, so I wondered if it was still a crane fly. It was larger than 1/4 inch, but, apparently the answer still is, "Sure, why not!"
ReplyDeleteIt's funny to think of insects that are specifically adapted for winter, but I suppose it's an open niche. I blogged about these guys last year - the one I found was on a lovely warm day in mid-January.
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