The Gollywhopper by Chipka
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Description
Like most insects, Crane Flies look intimidating, and they are—if you’re a patch of turf! Well, their larvae (commonly called “leather jackets”) are intimidating little turf eaters…well…turf-root eaters. And voracious. If there’s grass around, there are probably crane flies not too far away.
Crane flies are not well understood, but like my oh-so-beloved woodlice (also largely misunderstood) they bear a prodigious number of names. Outside of the USA, they’re actually known as “daddy long-legs” and here in the USA, I’ve heard them called a range of things: ‘mosquito hawks’, ‘mosquito eaters’, ‘‘skeeter-eaters’ and my all time favorite: ‘gollywhoppers.’ I think that’s a Southern-ism. It’s too colorful and fun a name to be one of those Nortnern names. For a while, I simply called them Russian Helicopters. The resemblance is, after all, uncanny and a wee bit spooky.
I’ve always known these critters as mosquito hawks, and I never understood why they were called such things. Their mouth parts are scarcely developed. Like Mayflies, adults generally exist only to reproduce, though some—like this one—are nectar feeders. If you look closely, you can see his nectar-sucking proboscis, neatly slung beneath his neck. What drew me to this little guy (his abdomen is skinny, and that’s how you know males from females…females are usually full of eggs and have ovipositors on back that look…well…like ovipositors.) was his color. He’d come to rest on a fence and didn’t seem to care that I’d gotten as close as I did. He was more interested in…well…nothing.
As a child, I’d see these in either my mother’s or grandmother’s garden. I’d largely ignore them as they never stayed around long enough to become interesting. They’d feed on nectar, then leave. There’s not much excitement in that, especially if they leave just as soon as you see them. So, needless to say, my affection for them is more abstract. But I love their fashion sense. Anyone able to fly around with so shiny (and non-aerodynamic) a thorax is pretty cool in my book. Also, I like the fact that their heads are so small; they remind me of the alien Mondoshawan race in The Fifth Element. Of course the Mondosawan have even bulkier bodies and even smaller-seeming heads—well, maybe it’s just their armor that’s bulky. (One has to wonder about aliens wearing armor designed by Jean-Paul Gaultier! What do they do during battle? Shoot you with “fabulous beams?” And yes, why do they look like overweight Crane Flies in woodlouse armor? If you’ve seen The Fifth Element you know what I’m talking about. And in terms of aliens that look like Crane flies in woodlouse armor…I like this Gautilier guy, he should design more alien costumes!)
So anyway, here’s a close-up shot of a rather colorful crane fly, or as I’m fond of calling it: a charming little gollywhopper.
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As always, thank you for viewing, reading, and commenting, and I hope you're all on the verge of a great weekend.
Comments (35)
MrsRatbag
I'm of the mosquito-eater band, that's what I always called them, and I always assumed that's what they did. If it's nectar they're after, I'm baffled why they're always flying around my windows trying to get in (or out)... Fantastic closeup of this long-legged specimen!
zoren
cool shot!
NightGallery
Nice shot! Love these guys
beachzz
Whatever you call them, they are amazingly beautiful, especially when you zoom. Looks like one of Tara's glass pieces--she'll love this. You give such life to bugs, make them so real and so very attractive. Not something I've often attributed to them!!
blankfrancine
amazing detailed insect photography!Looks like a very efficient eating machine.
blinkings
Great shot. Here in Australia, a Daddy Long Legs is this little and harmless spider.
M2A
Great close-up and explanation. Indeed, looks a bit like a black shark ;D
myrrhluz
Great image and information! We always called them mosquito hawks too. I'm very disappointed to hear they don't consume mosquitoes. I remember them on the flight line in England. They were very bad flyers and when the wind started to blow, they'd come careening into the barrier maintenance hut and slam into the equipment. I always felt sorry for them as they looked so ungainly and out of control. Excellent capture! What is the bit with the blue grey ball on the end of it? Always enjoy when you talk and show us insects. It opens a whole new world to me that I'll admit, I have heretofore neglected.
KatesFriend
Beautiful close up of this little guy. Actually he brings to mind those fragile wire and plastic wind-up birds that were common when I was a boy. You had to handle them gently and one crash was enough to put them out of commission. There reputation as "skeeter-eaters" might well be a borrowed one. At first I thought this was a dragonfly. Dragonflies are of coarse prodigious mosquito consumers. In spring one can see them flying in formation around lakes and wooded areas catching mosquitoes- on the fly.
anaber
Oooops!!!Fabulous image! Agree with mandi... an eating machine or a cleaning machine working...
mbz2662
The Fifth Element is one of my all time favorite movies! ...and when you said "I like the fact that their heads are so small" I immediately thought of those aliens, and almost fell off my chair when you made the reference... LOL. Cool photo!
micturn
nice take, love the details.
MrsLubner
how amazing. The macro has depth and drama
ToniDunlap
What a shot. AMAZING!!!
zulaan
Wow ! aliens exist, here's the proof ! :) Beautiful capture !
SIGMAWORLD
Excellent macro!
helanker
OHH Yes, that is a beautiful example of a STANKELBEN (some kind of "Skinny-leg") in my world. I remember clearly what KatesFriend said about the plastic birds. He is right, they flapped as bad as a Stankelben. lol. My son had such one, because I just couldnt resist on buying it...mostly because of my own curiousity. lol ! It is a fabulous macro you came up with here, Chip. It couldnt be much better than this. Not to mention the story behind it. You made a Stankelben look beautiful. :) BTW! My old (now in Cat heaven)cat Bamse, ate them like candy :-D He loved grasshoppers too. giggle!
minos_6
In the summer, our home is full of these little guys once the windows are open, since we live on the bank of the River Thames, and next to a park, and they seem to love this environment. Never seen one keep still long enough to be photographed though! This is a beautifully detailed capture, with vibrant colours, and I was especially impressed with the reflection.
durleybeachbum
A truly SUPERB macro of this Daddy-Long-legs, Chip! I love that name Gollywhopper too...that gave me a very odd mental picture. Whe I was a child Gollies were Negro dolls with the compulsory BIG hair, and one of the meanings of 'whop' was to playfully cuff each other in a game... I leave what came to my mind to float into yours!
kgb224
Superb macro captured by you my friend.
whaleman
Great macro! I've always been glad that they don't treat us like mosquitoes and that they don't have equipment proportional to a mosquito.
Bothellite
I like "GollyWhopper". We've been calling them GullyWhompers out here for a long time and I'm sure that is just a regional screwup on our part. Wonders if you have MubbinScubbies too. You knowledge of bugs is entomology fever. You got the bug! Nice!! Thank you.
wild_child
Awesome shot! Lovely colors!
faroutsider
What a great name! I've always known them as daddy longlegs or skeeter-eaters. Superb photograph and excellent info, as always.
flavia49
fantastic macro! great tale!
lucindawind
wow excellent capture!
watapki66
Superb macro!
Ilona-Krijgsman
very nice close-up....I do love insects...it is a challenge to get close....when I was a child I was so afraid for these critters......but now I play with them......how people can change
sandra46
astonishing image!!! i'm always surprised how what looks only a bug to me has a whole world of interest. As a city denizen I'm sorry to sat that my book of bugs have only three items: bugs that bite, bugs that look ugly, and bugs that neither bite not look threatening... ;-D
auntietk
Fascinating! Out here the critter we call "daddy longlegs" is a skinny spider. What you've got is known as a crane fly. (Okay, not here here, since I'm in Kansas at the moment ... Seattle here. I don't have a clue what they call 'em in Kansas.) Marilyn is right about the glass. This guy has a bit of an irridescent Steuben look about him. Great shot!