This Midge (Order: Diptera, Family: Chironomidae) was photographed on Tansy flowers along the shore of Lake Superior. Midges spend most of their life cycle as aquatic larvae (often called bloodworms). At the appropriate time in the summer, (each species has its own timing) they emerge synchronously as adults to live for only a few days until they are finished breeding. These emergences can consist of many millions of individuals and they are an important food source for breeding birds. Though they look superficially like mosquitoes (much to the chagrin of people not familiar with these insects!) they do not bite and are completely harmless. 40D, Canon 180mm macro,1/250, f/16, ISO 400, macro twin flash, hand held, auto focus. Comments are welcome.







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