MAYFLY DOCUMENTARY


Joan and I paddled the Mississippi River today with our kayaks. We went over to the Wisconsin side and enjoyed a great afternoon in the backwaters, away from the main channel, where it is usually a little noisier on a Sunday like this.

Before we launched the boats at Mc Cartney Lake Access we checked out the public boat landing in Potosi, WI and this is where today’s pictures were taken. Remember my post from June 26th? Yes, these are the same Mayflies, just “a few” more as you can see. Some people call them fishflies but they all enjoyed the last short stage of their lives. The air had a fishy smell because of the millions already dead, covering the ground like a carpet. The Mayflies are harmless but they hang on to everything they can find. Well, nothing for the photo connoisseurs among you today, but it is an important nature event here in the Mississippi Valley that deserves to be documented.

NATURE CLICKS #282 - MAYFLY


Nikon D750, Sigma 150mm / f2.8 APO EX DG HSM

Yesterday I saw the first Mayflies at Mud Lake down at the Mississippi. You remember, they emerge from the water as adults in often enormous numbers but have a very short life span, often not even 24 hours. I don’t think this is the “big hatch” yet but last night I saw at least a few hundred of them. I made the mistake only having the 24-120 mm lens with me, not exactly a lens for a macro shot. There was good light and only moderate wind but the lens prevented me from getting close enough.

I went back today with the SIGMA 150 mm, f/2.8, my favorite lens for this kind of photography, but I found only a few Mayflies. The wind blew a little stronger and wasn’t really photographer’s friend this evening. I believe Plato said ‘Beauty lies in the eye of the beholder’ but for me the Mayfly is just a beautiful looking insect. Beside that I’m fascinated by its biology and strategy for survival.

This was the shot I liked the best at the end, although there is room for improvement…