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Bug of the Week: Crane Flies

With all the rain this winter we’ve had an emergence of large insects that look somewhat like a giant mosquitoes or what my neighbors called “long-legged wasps.” Here is what they are seeing (the thumb is for scale).

crane fly

They have nothing to be concerned about. This big, fragile fly is called a crane fly.

Crane fly adults are often over an inch long with two flimsy wings that they hold straight out from their sides when at rest. Although their appearance is unusual, crane flies are truly gentle giants of the insect world. They don’t bite or sting. In fact, they do not even feed as adults. Their only interest is finding other crane flies.

The photo of the adult was from a few years ago. This afternoon my son found the larva while digging in some soil.

crane fly larva

The larval stages of crane flies are sometimes called leatherjackets because of the leathery-looking covering over their bodies. I was able to capture the end of its abdomen as it crawled away, so you can see the tubes it breathes with when it is under water. You can see the outline best in the shadow behind it.

The larvae munch on dead leaves piled up in wet areas, part of nature’s clean up crew. With all the rain storms we’ve had lately, the crane flies have had a lot to eat and so we have a lot of them.

crane fly larva

Interestingly, the larva emitted a brownish substance from the tip of its abdomen as it crawled away, almost like the “chewing tobacco” that grasshoppers make from their mouths if you pick them. I’ve never read anything about crane fly larvae having chemical defenses, but that’s what it looked like.

I’m afraid this larva was moving too fast for a good photo. For better views, you might want to check these truly spectacular photos of crane flies.

Meet a Scientist?

What do you think of when you hear the word “scientist?” The classic visual of a person in a white lab coat peering into a glass tube filled with colorful liquid? Someone tucked in a laboratory somewhere, far from the real world?

Actually, nothing could be further from the truth. I think it would be helpful for children to choose a career in science if they knew what scientists really do and what they really are like. To help children learn more about scientists I’m considering having a “Meet a Scientist Monday” as a regular post. Let me know if you like the idea and even better, if you know of a scientist who would be willing to let me interview him or her.

Here’s an example of a scientist, using information from Dr. Thomas Eisner’s book, “For Love of Insects” and from his website (go visit it just to see his photographs and his FanciFul Designs).

1. What is Dr. Eisner’s scientific field?

Dr. Eisner is a chemical ecologist. That means he studies how insects and other arthropods communicate and defend themselves using chemicals.

2. Does he spend all his time in a laboratory?

No, Dr. Eisner does much of his work outside in natural areas. In fact, he calls himself a field biologist. Dr. Eisner is also a nature photographer, as you can see from his website.

3. Did he always want to be a chemical ecologist?

Dr. Eisner always liked insects, and his father was a chemist, but he didn’t become a chemical ecologist until after he got his PhD degree. He says he had the idea in his mind that he would like to study chemicals and insects, but it wasn’t until he found a special beetle called a bombardier beetle that he was actually able to do it.

4. Where does he work?

Dr. Eisner is a Professor at Cornell University.

5. Why do you call him Dr. Eisner? Is he a medical doctor?

Many scientists go to graduate school for a a degree called a doctorate of philosophy or PhD for short. Anyone who gets a doctorate is called Dr.

6. Does he wear a laboratory coat?

I met him when I went to school at Cornell and he just wore regular clothes.

Do you have any other questions about Dr. Eisner? If so, let me know.

Here is information on two books by Dr. Eisner written for interested adults:

For Love of Insects by Thomas Eisner

Secret Weapons: Defenses of Insects, Spiders, Scorpions, and Other Many-Legged Creatures
by Thomas Eisner, Maria Eisner, and Melody Siegler

Weekend Science Fun: Planning A Children’s Garden

A  garden can be a wonderful learning experience. By giving your child the freedom to design his or her own space, a budget to work with and a few simple tools, you can have a project that builds a lifetime of skills and memories.

Planning a children’s garden can be done any time of year, but right now is a great time to get started.

What do you need?

Gardening is relatively simple. You need:

  • Spot with at least 6 to 8 hours of full sun per day
  • Soil
  • Water
  • Seeds and/or transplants

Of those three, the sunlight hours are often the most difficult to find. Because of the Earth’s tilt, the position of the sun changes with the seasons. Make sure the spot you have chosen isn’t shaded by trees, walls, or buildings throughout the day.

As for soil, you must decide if you are going to put the seeds or transplants into the ground, grow them in a container, or create a raised bed.  Containers must be at least 8 inches in diameter.

Also, find out the growing season for your location.  Check with local gardening organizations or your local Cooperative Extension office for planting dates.

Types of Gardens

Help your child decide on the type of garden he or she would like to plant. Does your child like vegetables? Then a kitchen garden would be perfect. Other types of gardens might be flower gardens or herb gardens. You might want to check our previous posts on theme gardens for ideas.

Beyond Planning

If you have had gardens in the past and want to expand your learning experiences even more, now is the time to plan garden activities, too.  These days there are a number of websites and organizations devoted to gardening with children and often they have free curricula.

Your local Cooperative Extension office is likely to have information about gardening with children. For example, the University of Illinois Extension has a Planning My Garden area for kids with information on how to grow different plants just a click away. PBS has information/ideas about gardening with children and KidsGardening.org has a wonderful gardening activities.

If you want to be part of an organization, take a look at the Cooperative Extension’s Junior Master Gardener Program. They have curricula for sale.

Budgeting for Seeds

The next step for planning is to develop a seed budget and order seeds.

Here are some links to seed company websites. Most are still willing to send a paper copy of their catalogs, if you want one. These are a  few that came to mind, no endorsement is implied. Note:  Many of these websites also have a wealth of information about gardening.

Botanical Interests

Burpee

Gurney’s Seed and Nursery Company

Johnny’s Seeds

Park Seed Co.

Seeds of Change

Seed Saver’s Exchange

 

Please let us know if you have any questions.

 

bean seed

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