Continuing with the insect theme, after 'shooting' the damselfly (see next), I happened to see one of the black & white insects floating through the air that I have recently been seeing, and took a stab at trying to get a shot of it. I have seen them in recent years, but hadn't identified them. Doing a bit of research, I discovered they are Phantom Crane Flies, commonly found around marshy areas. They have six legs, and two wings which aren't evident in this shot. They seem to drift in the breeze, and are certainly an unusual insect. The 'phantom' name comes from the fact that when they are appear against a dark background, all that shows are disconnected white patches.
This is great and thanks for researching the Phantom. Insects are so often overlooked (except when swatting them),yet so important. The abundant birds and frogs rely on them.
ReplyDeleteNow I finally know what a crane fly is - I came across the name when researching what dragonflies eat - a lot of crane flies apparently. Wonderful shot!
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