Crane Flies, known as Daddy Longlegs
Daddy-Longlegs is the familiar and popular name given to insects known as crane flies which are members of the insect family Tipulidae. There are over 5,000 different kinds of crane flies throughout the world and all have very long legs just like the bird called the crane, and most have two transparent wings so thin you can see through them. Adult crane flies have a lifespan of 10 to 15 days.
Although no crane flies are harmful to humans they can be rather troublesome. These are the ones that live in the grass or grassy places, because when the grubs hatch they live in the soil and damage the roots of the grass. They can also cause a lot of harm to growing corn and other crops. The larvae have been observed on many crops, including vegetables, fruits, cereals, pasture, lawn grasses, and ornamental plants, and are known commonly as leatherjackets.
The long legs of the crane fly (or Daddy-Longlegs) are very fragile and easily broken off. However, they are very useful to the female when she is moving through the grass to push her pointed body into the soil when laying eggs.
Crane flies cannot fly very strongly and usually come out at night. The males can form swarms in the evening, dancing up and down like gnats. During the day they don't normally bother to hide themselves and some have the curious habit of resting on spiders' webs - the last place you expect a fly to choose. Stangely, all crane flies have white feet.
The crane flies that have no wings at all mostly live in places where wings would be of no use such as in windswept islands where, if they flew at all, they would be blown out to sea and drowned.
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