First there were spiders, then moths, then more spiders chasing the moths. And now the nights are lively with jittery crane flies. They come in two sizes; small ones, about 3/4 of an inch long, and the big, hysterical ones, 4 1/2 inches toe to toe.
One slowed down finally. I found him dying on my dinner table.
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| Nose to wingtip, 4 cm. The legs, though are 6 cm. long. No wonder some people call them "Daddy longlegs"! |
This is a male; the end of his abdomen has graspers to hold his mate.
She will have a pointed tail end, with an ovopositor.
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| Flying about, they look like huge mosquitoes. But they don't have the mouthparts to attack humans, and most adults don't eat at all; they're too busy mating and laying eggs. |
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| This is one of the smaller crane flies, very much alive. The three-pronged grasper is visible at his tail end. |
