Nephrotoma appendiculata, the spotted crane fly, is a species of crane fly

Crane fly

A crane fly is an insect in the family Tipulidae. Adults are very slender, long-legged flies that may vary in length from though tropical species may exceed to ....

. This species has a wingspan of about 50 millimetres (2 in), and a body length of 13–15 mm (0.511811023622047–0.590551181102362 ). The body is yellow with short black stripes on the thorax and a black line on each section of the abdomen. The wings have a thin yellow line near the leading edge. This species can be seen from May to September at woodland edges, in gardens, fields and on farmland. The larva

Larva

A larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle...

e, known as "leatherjackets", feed on the roots of grass

Grass

Grasses, or more technically graminoids, are monocotyledonous, usually herbaceous plants with narrow leaves growing from the base. They include the "true grasses", of the Poaceae family, as well as the sedges and the rushes . The true grasses include cereals, bamboo and the grasses of lawns ...

es, while the adults feed on umbellifers

Apiaceae

The Apiaceae , commonly known as carrot or parsley family, is a group of mostly aromatic plants with hollow stems. The family is large, with more than 3,700 species spread across 434 genera, it is the sixteenth largest family of flowering plants...

 such as cow parsley.