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Pond and stream · Dragonflies, damselflies and mayflies
Green drake mayfly
Ephemera danica
A delicate, pale insect with upright, see-through wings veined in brown and three long tails.
- Size
- Body about 2cm, plus three long tails
- Look for them
- May to June
- Where
- Clean rivers, chalk streams and large lakes
My spotter's list
Dance after you, up and down over the water. Move your pointer and see.
Good to know
Six things about mayflies
ShortOne day in the air
The adult lives for a day or two. It has no working mouth and never eats.
LongTwo years below
Before that, the young spend up to two years burrowing in the mud of the river bed.
TwiceIt moults with wings
It is the only kind of insect that sheds its skin once more after it has grown wings.
DanceA rising and falling dance
Males gather in swarms and fly up and drift down, again and again, to attract females.
FishA feast for trout
When thousands hatch together, trout rise to gorge on them. Anglers copy the mayfly with their flies.
CleanA test of clean water
Mayflies die out in polluted rivers, so scientists count them to check a river's health.
The real thing
Photos of mayflies
Photos are from Wikimedia Commons, used under the free licences shown. They have been resized, and cropped where they appear in link previews.
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Out and aboutHow to spot them
Stand on a bridge over a clean river on a still evening in late May. Look for pale insects rising and falling above the water. Take an adult with you.
Lend a handHow to help
Mayflies have declined as rivers have been polluted. River trusts run riverfly counts, and volunteers are always wanted.
Following youLadybird
Who should follow you?
These live somewhere else: choosing one takes you to their page.
The garden
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Meadow and hedgerow
Pond and stream
These live somewhere else: choosing one takes you to their page.
The log pile
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After dark
Bugs from other parts of the world live on their own pages: choose another.
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