1986 Garden Crane Fly Tipula Oleracea Print - Durin Bernard Les Insectes - Entomology Scientific Illustration - 11 x 13 in

This is a gorgeous high quality vintage print with vivid colours taken from a disbound copy of Les Insectes by Bernard Durin. The dimensions are 11 x 13 inches. Visit https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/ForestHillArtsHouse?section_id=53836226 for more Insects prints. This long-legged insect, a cousin of flies, is a dipteran. Only the first pair of wings is fully developed. The hind wings, reduced in size, are called halteres or balancers. Aristotle already spoke of dipterans, a term later adopted by Linnaeus in 1759. The loss of their hind wings does not prevent dipterans from flying. These balancers don’t function like wings at all but are essential to flight. They contain sensory cells that control balance and guide movement during flight. Their function is comparable to that of a gyroscope. Dipterans are among the most agile and fastest flying insects. The garden crane fly, which belongs to the same suborder as mosquitoes, doesn’t bite. Everyone recognizes it in summer, as it clumsily flies around lights. During the day, it stays still. Many people fear it, even though it is harmless: it has no stinger and does not bite. It’s rare to catch it while feeding, but sometimes the female can be seen feeding on buds. It’s difficult to catch because its legs can easily break—not from the captor’s brutality, but due to the extreme fragility of its joints. Being a favourite prey of birds, bats, spiders, and many insects, losing a leg is its last resort for escaping predators. The losses it suffers during the larval phase are compensated by the high number of eggs laid. A single female garden crane fly can lay more than 1,300 eggs, using her small ovipositor to insert them into the soil. Some species drop their eggs in flight over water or attach them to stones, plants, or other submerged surfaces. The larval cycle of the garden crane fly takes place in fields. The larvae are pests to wheat, lettuce, clover, and grass. Young larvae feed on green shoots of plants, while older larvae attack the roots. **Background** The artist Bernard Durin was an artist and illustrator transforming the tiniest creatures into works of art. Born in France in 1940, "Beetles and Other Insects," was published in 1980. It is considered a masterpiece. Durin has captured the intricate patterns, textures, and colours of his subjects with stunning accuracy. He made around 60 portraits of insects, using rare and fascinating specimens entrusted to him by the entomologists of the Museum of Natural History in Paris. Durin’s work combines scientific precision with artistic beauty. This has made them valuable to entomologists and other scientists. Bernard Durin passed away in 1988. His illustrations continue to be admired for their beauty and precision, and they remain a valuable resource for anyone interested in the natural world. **About Your Purchase:** - Your purchase is this ORIGINAL vintage print. No modern reprints, reproductions, or copies. - Please note: This print is sold unmounted. **Condition:** Good. Consistent with age. The reverse shows text in German. There is no show-through. **Returns & Shipping** - **Returns:** No-questions-asked within 14 days provided in the same condition as dispatched; buyer pays return shipping. - **Packaging:** All prints are securely packaged in a clear bag with a board-backed envelope, further reinforced with recycled cardboard. - Dispatched via Royal Mail Tracked 24/48 (and Royal Mail Tracked International) with: - UK delivery within 1-3 days - US/EU delivery within 5-12 days - Rest-of-world delivery within 7-21 days