Tipula maxima

These things give me the creeps. It looks like what I call a mosquito hawk.

It's a shame that these get such a bad press. They are totally harmless as they neither sting or bite.

I call it a dandy longlegs..And avoided stepping on these as a child, because it would then rain...oh my. lol...

Hi Newfienurse, the daddy longlegs we have here is smaller than these and has wings without the pattern. The daddy longlegs is also a pest as it lays it's eggs while flying over grassy areas. After the eggs hatch there is the laval stage which are commonly known as leather jackets and the feed on the grass roots creating dead patches of lawn. Fortunately we have an ally in the form of our starlings which love to eat these grubs.

wow, you knows your dandy longlegs! :)