Crane Fly - or Daddy Longlegs

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 Some wildlife is so common that we don't give it a second glance. Below is a photograph of a "daddy longlegs"  on some ragwort.(NB. the daddy longlegs is apparently a sort of spider in the USA - different animal)


These beasties are common throughout the Northern hemisphere. This one is a female with a pointed abdomen finishing in an ovipositor. The ends of the male abdomens are more blunted. The adults only live for 10 to 15 days and rarely feed. The adults mate soon after hatching and the female lays her eggs in damp soil. The larvae that develop are regarded as garden pests and are known as leatherjackets. Apparently there was an infestation of leatherjackets at Lord's cricket ground in 1935 and the groundsmen had to collect thousands of them and burn them because they were eating the grass roots and causing bare patches and an uneven surface! Must have been good for the spin bowlers!
Cranefly are mostly nocturnal and sometimes appear in my moth traps but are frequently found during daylight. The legs are only loosely attached and can easily break off.

Diary
More rain but the stream at the bottom of the field is still running dry. I'm afraid I failed to set my camera traps last night - it wasn't an enticing prospect to go out in a downpour. The young red squirrels are growing fast and are in the garden several times a day at the moment. The spotted flycatcher chicks in the nest by the kitchen door appear to have fledged and left the nest.


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