(Holorusia hespera)
The Western Giant Crane Fly is the largest crane fly. It is brown to reddish brown. It has long legs. It can reach from 3.5 to 4.5 cm in size. A single pair of front wings is sometimes held out away from the Crane Fly’s body while it is resting, or folded into the sides. The Crane Fly pictured above is resting with wings held out from its body. You can just see the halteres. Halteres are modified wings that are used in flight for balance. Crane flies are quite comical in flight and often go in one direction, then another. They are poor flyers. The Western Giant Crane Fly has a large set of compound eyes. Western Giant Crane Flies have a 5-year lifespan, but 4 and 10 months of it are underground. The adult Crane Fly only lives for about 60 days.
The Western Giant Crane Fly adult in the west can be found on the western side of the Rockies and out as far as Vancouver Island. Look for them wherever you find forests with streams and lakes or marshes.
The Western Giant Crane Fly is a giant among crane flies. You are at first surprised when you see one for the first time, they are quite impressive. I would say they are almost twice as big as a normal-sized crane fly. They are also a bit rare out here on the Island so I was surprised to run into this one.
Remember, crane flies don’t bite, But when they get into your house they can be an issue only in the way they are attracted to lights. If one does end up in your house, just cup it in your hands to let it outside. They are harmless and only have mating on their minds. Many different animals, including birds, lizards, predatory insects, bats, and spiders all feed on them.