There is sadness here on the blog today for the subjects of my photos are male mayflies that have almost certainly retreated from the river where they have just mated with as many females as possible, to die amongst vegetation or, in the case below, clinging to a fence panel.

I’m sure you’re all familiar with the mayfly’s life cycle: after spending between two weeks and two years as larvae beneath the water, on the day of hatching the males fly up to dance, often in huge swarms, above the water’s surface. The female mayflies fly up in to the swarm to mate, in flight, after which they fall to the water to lay their eggs, numbering in the hundreds, if not thousands, before, probably, becoming the meal of a waiting fish or canny bird. Sometimes the males seek shelter for a time before rejoining the swarm but it’s more likely that they simply find a place to perch and die.

From the distinctive markings on their abdomens and wings, I think these particular mayflies are the species Ephemera vulgata. It is the pair of earwig-like pincers near their tails that indicate these are both males.

***EDIT November 2025. As you can see from my previous paragraph, I initially identified these mayflies as Ephemera vulgata but I have just had notification that my records have been redetermined to species Ephemera danica.