Is this harmless to plant

[Official Gardener]

Will this insect cause any damage to the plant? Right now, it is sitting quietly soaking up some sun but does it have a darker side?

 

[Marck]

This is a Cranefly (Family Tipulidae, Order Diptera; the genus may be Nephrotoma, but there are many species of Cranefly).
The adults only live few weeks, long enough to breed. They rarely feed, or if they do, it is usually on nectar.
The larvae can live in a variety of habitats, and eat a variety of food sources, some that live in soil may eat plant roots but they are usually not the cause of serious plant injury.
It is true that in certain environments such as very wet lawns, there numbers reach the point of being a nuisance, but this is not very common, and not true for most species.
Overall, Craneflies are not plant pests, and their presence should be welcome as a sign of an overall healthy and diverse ecosystem.

 

[Official Gardener]

This is a Cranefly (Family Tipulidae, Order Diptera; the genus may be Nephrotoma, but there are many species of Cranefly).
The adults only live few weeks, long enough to breed. They rarely feed, or if they do, it is usually on nectar.
The larvae can live in a variety of habitats, and eat a variety of food sources, some that live in soil may eat plant roots but they are usually not the cause of serious plant injury.
It is true that in certain environments such as very wet lawns, there numbers reach the point of being a nuisance, but this is not very common, and not true for most species.
Overall, Craneflies are not plant pests, and their presence should be welcome as a sign of an overall healthy and diverse ecosystem.

Thanks Marck

 

[Oliver Buckle]

I get starlings digging into my lawn, I am pretty sure they are after the grubs which eat the grass roots. The common name for them around here is 'Daddy-long-legs', when my daughter was a little girl she got confused and referred to them as 'Olly-longdads'