Q.
Thank you for your kind answer to my earlier
question about Ephemerella “X”. My question
for this month is as follows: The other day I
noticed some mayfly spinners in flight above a
trout stream. They were flying straight up into
the sky and then stopping and “gliding” down with
their wings spread out. They would do this in a
vertical column, up and down. They would rise to
about 15 feet in the air and then drop to about 10
feet or so. It almost looked like they were playing,
but insects don’t “play”. Is this some sort of mating
ritual to attract the opposite sex? That is my guess.
Thank you for your response, I look forward to reading it.
A.
Thanks for the kind words. Your guess is right
on the money; what you observed is the typical
mating “dance” that many mayflies perform. The
males are the ones doing the up-and-down “dancing.”
The females fly through the swarms and are seized
from below by the males who then mate with them.
If you have a question, please feel free to contact me.
~ C. E. (Bert) Cushing, aka Streamdoctor
105 W. Cherokee Dr.
Estes Park, CO 80517
Phone: 970-577-1584
Email: streamdoctor@aol.com
The ‘Stream Doctor’ is a retired professional stream ecologist and
author, now living in the West and spending way too much time
fly-fishing. You are invited to submit questions relating to
anything stream related directly to him for use in this Q & A Feature
at streamdoctor@aol.com.
Originally published May 10th, 2004 on Fly Anglers Online by Robert Younghanz.