On my walk ... the autumn cranefly

 

This time of year countless 'daddy-long-legs' appear; they all seem to hatch about the same time in one huge awakening. This is probably the most common species of crane fly found in Britain and whilst it can be seen during the summer months it is certainly abundant in autumn. They are attracted to light like moths are and can often be found around buildings, especially those with an outside light.

This particular species is probably Tipula paludosa. It has a close cousin, Tipula oleracae which is virtually identical but my book says oleracae has thirteen segments in its antennae and paludosa has fourteen. Try counting them without a microscope ...! Paludosa has wings a little shorter than its body whereas oleracae has wings a little longer.

It is difficult to be sure from the photograph but given that paludosa is most common in autumn whereas oleracae is more frequent in spring I will stick with this being paludosa until someone can positively identify it otherwise for me.

The larvae of these two species are called 'leather jackets' which can cause damage to crops but they are a favourite delicacy of rooks and jackdaws which is one of the reasons you often see these birds feeding on the ground.