Aster World, Part 8: Crane Flies

Here are some Crane Flies that came to visit the asters in our backyard:

Crane Flies feeding on Hairy Asters (Symphyotrichum pilosum)

Geary Co., Kansas, October 2-22, 2021.

Most people have seen the sizeable crane flies, that look like giant mosquitoes. These are a smaller species, in the family Limoniidae, and possibly in the sub-genus Geranomyia--one of three groups of crane flies that have long mouthparts for feeding on flowers. Though these fast-moving insects make for blurry images, we can get brief glimpses of their long proboscises. These remarkable flies bob up and down rapidly while perching and feeding--a lot to do all at once!