Tipptity-tip

  Early this morning as I stumbled to the kitchen, I heard a funny sound coming from some unseen entity.  At 5am without coffee, I am not much in the mood to go searching for something making a tippity-tip noise so I left it be...for the time being...or so I thought.  As usual, a pot of coffee needed to be set to brewing if I was to wake at all.  Then, the cat needed to be fed.  She has the loudest meow when she is hungry and she is always hungry which is why I was up before sunrise.  That goofy cat decided to sit on my chest and meow until I forced my eyelids to open.  With her fed and quiet (thank goodness!), Mr. PJ wanted his share of breakfast.  Ms. Nycto's loud meowing woke up the dog so he came running to the kitchen nearly colliding with the cat.  Big ruckus...poor brain...need coffee.  Finally, the coffee..nice, hot coffee to waken the brain was brewed! 

  With that mug of coffee in hand, I pulled out a chair to have a seat.  That is when I came face to face (literally) with the tippity-tip maker.  A rather large crane fly decided that my glasses needed attention so it was flippity-flipping all over my face!  Actually, I had disturbed the critter from its busy work.  The crane fly must have come in last night with the cat and decided that indoor life was not its cup of tea.  The insect was bouncing around on the window curtains trying to escape the confines of the kitchen.  Its attraction to my face is still unknown unless it was seeking my help in its getaway.  I did...the critter was set free and seemed happy to take leave of the place.

  Crane flies are some of the most misunderstood insects there are.  At least down here in the Deep South, they are seen as enormous mosquitoes that can bite.  Nope.  They do not.  Other folks claim that they are "skeeter eaters" (which would be a good thing).  Nope. They do not.  Some even claim that they will "ruin your tomatoes"!  Nope.  They do not cause the ugly marks on the tomatoes in the garden.  Put the blame where it is due...those blotches come from stinkbugs.  So, the crane fly is a pretty innocuous critter that does little more than flit around aimlessly hunting for a mate.  The larvae can sometimes cause dark spots in the lawn but, other than that, they pretty much just live and make tippity-tip noises on your window...at 5am...before you have had your coffee.

The Gollywhoppers are Back!

  My job lately has been to paint the new siding that is being installed on the Little Bayou House.  As soon as Mark and Son get a part completed, I slap a coat of paint on it. I do not mind painting as it is a mindless task and, as I paint, my brain can wander where it pleases.  Also, since I am standing on a scaffolding to reach the upper portions of the house, I have a wonderful view of the hillside.  This makes for all sorts of interesting photo opportunities so the camera goes up with me.

  While slinging that paintbrush, I found that I had a visitor.  A critter came up the wall in a bouncy sort of way.  The bug even bounced on the freshly painted board and then on my shoulder.  This caused me a bit of worry since I thought perhaps its next encounter would be my paint bucket.  I shooed the critter softly to the drier portion of the siding where it bounced for a few moments before settling down to rest in the shade. Wow!  From my perspective, this looked a lot like a huge mosquito!  I was sure thankful that I recognized it as Crane Fly and did not have to do a bunch of slapping or dodging this one like I do with the actual mosquitoes!

  I find it humorous that so many names have been attached to this poor critter.  Crane Fly, Skeeter, Mosquito Hawk, Gollywhopper and Skeeter Eater are just a few of the names that people have attached to the poor bug.  (My favorite being Gollywhopper!  Love that name!)  Then again, there are countless myths of how this critter can inflict a terribly painful bite or sting so having countless names only stands to reason!  The part about biting or stinging is just plain not so.  The critter does not even have a biting part to its mouth!  About all it can do is sip nectar or water.

  My little friend kept me company for the entire morning and then flitted...bounced...wobbled its way to the shady area beneath the wisteria arbor.  This one was waiting to find a companion so it could mate and let life continue for the Crane Fly species.  Bounce on, Little Friend.

Dethroning of the King!

  Critters come and critters go here on the Bayou.  Everyday brings a new round of faces that I might see on my hikes or while working the gardens.  Early this morning, I noticed that the male Starling was standing watch over his mate while she was on the nest.  With her nesting hole high in the dead Black Gum tree, she really does not have a lot of worries about intruders but he dutifully perched himself on the very tiptop of the tree.  There he had a perfect view of the entire hill but at the same time, everything had a perfect view of him.  He needs to find a bit more coverage or else he his liable to become a meal for the owl or hawk.  (The two of them were out and about as well this morning at daybreak.)  Mr. Starling was not too happy about my being in the garden just below his wife's abode but I had work to do!  My first chore was to scrub the winter grime off of the lawn chairs so I could give them a fresh coat of paint.

  As I was washing the chairs, a crane fly came to visit.  The critter sort of flopped its way around my head a bit before landing on the very chair that I was scrubbing.  Not being one to kill a critter just because it bears a striking resemblance to a mega-sized mosquito, I decided to poke it. Hopefully, this would act as a bit of encouragement for it to move on its way.  Nope, the crane fly liked its perch and was not going to move.  I poked again.  The goofy thing took flight only to alight in almost the same spot!  Ok, so maybe I should just take a break from my scrubbing and commune with nature a bit here.  Mr. Crane Fly (yes, it was a male), why do you like my chair so much?  Do you honestly believe that you are King and this is your throne?  Actually, I had already figured out that the crane fly was trying to warm himself.  I had pulled the chairs in the sunniest spot in the yard which happened to also be blocked from the wind.  Pondering whether I really wanted to shoo that bug from my work space, I sat back to admire his determination.  Then disaster struck!

  Even though I was within a few feet of the crane fly, Mr. Starling swooped down and snatched King Crane Fly from his warming spot! Ok, so I have heard that starlings eat a lot of critters but this was a tad ridiculous!   Either the bird was mighty brave or really hungry!   I am supposing that he decided that maybe I was not such a threat after all. Sorry King Crane Fly!  At least, now I could get back to my chair-scrubbing task.  

Gollywhoppers!

Mosquito Hawks...Skeeter Eaters...Gollywhoppers...and yes, even..Giant Mosquitoes! All of these are names given to the Crane Fly. First we will set the record straight. Though it does resemble a mosquito that it about the size of Texas, this is not a mosquito..not even a Giant Mosquito! Nor is it a Mosquito Hawk. That name is more aptly applied to a Dragonfly since they actually do eat mosquitoes. Likewise for the moniker..Skeeter Eater. The same reason applies..they do not dine on the pesky biters! That said, I am willing to go along with the Gollywhoppers! I sort of like that name even better than Crane Fly! There is a certain ring to that word that slides right off the tongue as smooth as silk! I am supposing that this was attached to the poor Crane Fly by those same folks that seem to believe it is a huge, overgrown mosquito. I can just hear some guy out fishing when a Crane Fly lands on the tip of his pole... " Golly! There sure are great big skeeters out here on the Bayou...just look at that Gollywhopper!"

The good thing about Crane Flies is they do not bite! That brings them far into the favorite insect category for me! Living on the Bayou, I find more than my fair share of biting critters. I do not need another. So early this morning when I came across this Crane Fly on the fence by the hotbed, I breathed a sigh of relief. Nice going, Crane Fly..you can stay. I weeded the little tomato plants that were coming up in the hotbed without worrying about that thing making a meal out of my blood! I don't believe the Crane Fly could have done too much damage anyway as the cool, moist air had it rather sluggish. As matter of fact, these flies feed on nectar if they feed at all as adults. Adulthood for them is very short and most of it is spent procreating. There is just no time to track down some likely meal! The bad thing about Crane Flies is that some larvae do a lot of damage to lawns. While not all species do, some of the leatherbacks, as they are called, feed upon the roots of most grasses. Most, however, feed on decaying organic matter. The larvae of the most common Crane Flies can be found in mulch piles and the decomposing leaf matter that piles up under trees. They usually prefer a moist area but any place will do in a pinch! I figure if that is all the harm they evoke upon the World...they are friends! Don't bite..eat dead leaves..sounds like a fine critter to have around!

I am happy to say the Crane Fly stayed on the fence long enough for the sun to warm its body to a movable state and then it sort of flittered away. This fly is not the most able of fliers so it hob-bobbled along hunting for a suitable mate to spend the rest of its adult life being....well..an adult!