Tag Archives: British craneflies

Cranefly: Tipula lunata

22 Wednesday May 2024

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Luck was with me when I spotted this attractive new-to-me cranefly; I was leaning down to photograph a flower at ground level when I turned my head to see it on a plant next to me. ‘Oh, hello.’ Click, click, click.

240522 tipula lunata

Though there are some similarly marked cranefly species, it turns out that my identification of this as Tipula lunata is correct. The Naturespot website reports that it can be found from May through to July in well vegetated areas throughout Britain, so keep an eye out when you’re out and about in Nature.

My, what long legs you have

08 Thursday Feb 2024

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This little critter was hanging on to a house wall I passed yesterday. I’m fairly sure it’s a cranefly species and it might be Tipula pagana. However, although I’ve lightened it a lot, my photo doesn’t show the identifying features well enough and, according to what I’ve read, it shouldn’t be out and about at this time of year. It was certainly nice to see an insect at last, as, understandably, they are all hiding away at the moment.

Tipula vernalis

10 Monday Apr 2023

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I hadn’t really wondered why these insects are called craneflies but have just been reading that the name comes from their resemblance to a crane – the long-legged bird, not the machine. These particular craneflies, the male above, the female dangling below, are Tipula vernalis, not a species I’d seen before, but my springtime habit of keeping a keen out for insects on Dandelions paid off. Spring is when this cranefly species first appears (hence the vernalis epithet, from the Latin vernus meaning ‘of the spring’), and it continues to float about its woodland and damp grassland home for several months, till June.

230410 Tipula vernalis

C is for craneflies

08 Wednesday Dec 2021

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The cranefly family of insects is another I have often overlooked as I mostly see the same species in my local areas. But, with some more thorough investigation of different habitats, I think I should be able to expand my list.

211208 cranefly

I thought craneflies would long since have disappeared so this little beauty, possibly Tipula oleracea, was a surprise find during last Saturday’s (4 December) walk. But, as a spokesperson for the Cranefly Recording Scheme kindly explained: ‘Potentially you can see Craneflies during any month of the year. Last Christmas I was doing the washing up and one flew by the window. Climate change has extended and altered the seasons for these flies.’ So, do please let me know if you too have a cranefly Christmas!

267/365 Flitting

24 Tuesday Sep 2019

Posted by in autumn, insects, nature

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With every step I take through the dampish long grass and reed-filled ground in Cosmeston’s west paddock, small creatures flit up and away from my intrusive legs and feet. These are craneflies, probably the species Tipula oleracea.

Marsh cranefly (1)

I am no danger to them but they are right to flee: a couple of days ago, I was sitting eating my lunch at a picnic table in a nearby country park, watching as a Magpie strutted through the grass, picking off cranefly snacks for its lunch.

Marsh cranefly (2)