Daddy Long Legs (Phalangium opilio)

Photo by Gayla Trail  All Rights Reserved

I found this daddy long legs (Phalangium opilio), a close spider relative but not an actual spider, sitting quietly on my cucumber plant the other day. I looked it up in my “Garden Bugs of Ontario” book (thanks again Chair!), and it turns out they go by another name, harvestmen. No idea of the origin but I am assuming that has something to do with the fact that they can shed a leg when under attack.

Gayla Trail
Gayla is a writer, photographer, and former graphic designer with a background in the Fine Arts, cultural criticism, and ecology. She is the author, photographer, and designer of best-selling books on gardening, cooking, and preserving.

Subscribe to get weekly updates from Gayla

One thought on “Daddy Long Legs (Phalangium opilio)

  1. I think it has to do with their eating habits. They’ll eat just about any bug and even small lizards. HOW they eat lizards I will never figure out, but apparently they do.

Comments are closed.