Not exactly a good witch but not a bad mosquito either. Elephant mosquitoes-Toxorhynchites rutilus don’t pursue blood meals but sip flower nectar such as that of this Boneset Thoroughwort-Eupatorium perfoliatum.
Although it looks to be in danger, the Leather Bug aka Scentless Plant Bug-Harmostes fraterculus is really in no jeopardy. The flash in this case really highlights the metallic nature of the mosquito’s exoskeleton. Nice feathery antennae as well.
Stephen Gingold Nature Photography Blog 
An elephant mosquito–who knew? I wonder if, as the occasion arises, they also sip nectar from trumpet vines.
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Not only do they but they trumpet their pleasure.
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What extraordinary blue shines on this insect! Great photo, Steve, capturing 2 insects going about their business.
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I got really excited when this mosquito showed up on the flowers, Pete.So beautiful and interesting. I had never seen one before although I did have another similar larger one several years ago…a Gallnipper-Psorophora ciliata which does feed on blood and also is a disease vector. I shot one in my backyard several years ago and one of its offspring may have given me West Nile Encephalitis a few years ago. Thankfully the Elephant is not a worry.
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As its name implies, is this critter as huge as it appears? It looks more like jewelry than an insect.
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Yes it is, Bob. I mentioned above that I have seen a larger one in the yard but this is probably as big dimension-wise as a daddy longlegs. That iridescence really caught my attention and the flash enhanced it some.
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You did a good job capturing those feathery antennae, and of course in finding a non-blood-seeking mosquito.
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It was fairly active so the antennae were not always as visible as here and that’s why I chose this one. Yeah, non-blood-seeking is a bonus for sure.
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One thing I like about this is the reminder not all mosquitos are what we think. I certainly had no idea this one existed, so I’ve been educated today. Thanks much for that.
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True of so much, Todd. The fear of the unknown or different is a problem between humans and the “other”. My neighbor kills every insect that enters his yard…or at least attempts to. Despite knowing its benign nature, being a mosquito does trouble me a bit.
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Now tell me this is that 180mm macro length in action. Did you use the 2x? What aperture?
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F/11 with the 100 on my 40D with the twin flash, Maria. I was able to get pretty close and did crop a little bit.
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I love it. Thanks for the info.
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Great image Steve! Never knew this mosquito existed! Really cool image of an interesting mosquito!
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Thanks, Reed. Any time we go out looking for insects there is a good chance of finding something new to us. So many thousands of species.
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I see these every once in a while… but I never get as close as your camera does! Great shot. 🙂
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This was my first sighting of this mosquito. Nice to know not all are out for our blood. Thanks, Eliza.
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I had no idea. I assumed all mosquitoes were blood-suckers, even if not disease vectors. Live and learn, for sure.
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Same here, Linda. I was happy to learn about this one and, as Todd mentioned above, we shouldn’t assume the worst without knowing. Think of all the harmless insects swatted for no good reason.Otoh, until learning about this one, I assumed I had a good reason for swatting mosquitoes.
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What beauties—the mosquito and your photo.
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Thank you, Linda.
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What an education! I hadn’t realized there are “good” mosquitoes too but, then again, why should I be surprised? Thanks for sharing the information and great photo.
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We as humans often regrettably place all things in one basket. I suffered a mosquito borne disease a shot while back and until this discovery assumed all were bad too. I stand corrected. When in a discussion about what good similar pests possess someone suggested furthering of survival of the fittest. 🙂
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I vaguely recall you being very ill but thought it was Lyme Disease. Hopefully, you have recovered 100% and certainly are more knowledgeable from the experience. 🙂
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It was West Nile Virus Encephalitis and it appears I am fully recovered. My doctor told me it would take a year to become normal which I replied that it would be a new experience. 🙂
It is relatively rare although each year the number of cases increases. When it first hit the USA in @1999 there were a number of fatalities in NYC. The good news is that history has shown one to be immune after surviving.That antibody thing we hear about lately. Because it was rare it took a week to get the diagnosis back after multiple tests were negative. The spinal tap provided the information. Now here in MA we have to be concerned with another mosquito gift…Eastern Equine Encephalitis. You can believe I slather up with repellent. 🙂
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Thank God you recovered and it hasn’t precluded you from your treks in nature and taking those stunning photos! Lessons learned.
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Thanks. It would take going beyond “near fatality” to keep me from spending time in nature. 🙂
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Interesting, Steve, I certainly wasn’t aware that mosquitoes might have that kind of metallic sheen. Your boneset brings you lots of goodies!
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It was a surprise to me also. A surprise also that there could be benign mosquitoes. Boneset is my BFF. 🙂
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Today I heard from my friend Ule in Germany, who included a photo of Boneset in her garden! She called it “Water feast” but included the Latin name so I know it was the same plant.
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Interesting name. 🙂
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Neat! I’m learning a lot about insects here. 🙂
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So am I. There’s a whole world of insects out there to learn about and that’s true for entomologists as well with all that are yet to be discovered and named.
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You’ve reminded me of an odd dream I had last night, in which my favorite entomologist was teaching my daughter analytical math. It was poignant, because he had a severe stroke a number of years ago, while she has fairly severe learning disabilities. Two brilliant minds trapped behind barriers.
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