Yesterday after I finished teaching my afternoon class at Framingham State, I noticed not one but two palm-sized crane flies on the chalkboard at the front of the room. As my students packed up their things to leave, I quietly took several photos, which immediately drew attention to the Big Bugs at the front of the room.
Ewww, what are those?
Dude, look at that!
Man, where did they come from?
As I calmly explained that crane flies look like enormous mosquitoes but are harmless, one of my students added that they are sometimes called “mosquito hawks,” a name that makes them sound much more dangerous than they actually are.
As several students took pictures of their own on their way out the door, I pointed to the open windows where the flies had presumably entered. It’s a jungle out there, and when the windows are open, there is nothing stopping it from being a jungle inside, as well.
Hoarded Ordinaries 