Another Magnificent.......

Another magnificent discovery while meandering around my son's garden. Something drew me to the woolybush and as I looked down and see this wonderful tiny creature.

Having never seen one before I begin my research to discover that it is a tiger crane fly or mosquito hawk.

Unlike other insects the adult tiger crane fly is incapable of eating other insects. They are aquatic insects and indicate good water quality. They also indicate a healthy soil. The larvae I discovered break down waste of decomposing matter in both water and soil. So they are vital for clean healthy water in ponds and streams. The larvae are worm like apparently and they eat almost anything, brilliant decomposers in fact.

Fascinating.

They don't bite, can't sting either, the adults only staying alive for a couple of days and their priority is to mate and to lay eggs....