Yellow Drakes

Mayflies

Caddisflies

Stoneflies

Scientific Names

Match	Scientific Name
	Ephemera varia
	Anthopotamus distinctus

Like most common names, "Yellow Drake" can refer to more than one taxon. They're previewed below, along with 3 specimens. For more detail click through to the scientific names.

Mayfly Species Ephemera varia

These are pretty much always called Yellow Drakes.

This is an excellent hatch of a different character than its Ephemera brethren. Rather than emerging in a flurry of activity within a week, the Ephemera varia flies may last for more than a month in a single place.

Ephemera varia (Yellow Drake) Mayfly Nymph

View 4 Pictures

Collected March 29, 2006 from in
Added to Troutnut.com by on April 6, 2006

Female Ephemera varia (Yellow Drake) Mayfly Dun

View 7 PicturesThis yellow drake dun hatched out of my aquarium over a month before her brethren in the wild are slated to emerge. She seems a bit small, and that might be the reason.

Collected May 13, 2007 from in
Added to Troutnut.com by on May 18, 2007

Female Ephemera varia (Yellow Drake) Mayfly Spinner

View 6 PicturesI found this female spinner ovipositing in a small stream. She came along while I was playing a trout -- every good bug seemed to do that last night! I didn't have my bug net, so I caught the trout in my landing net, released the trout, and caught the mayfly in my landing net. Her wing got a bit messed up from that.

Collected July 7, 2006 from in
Added to Troutnut.com by on July 8, 2006

Mayfly Species Anthopotamus distinctus

These are very rarely called Yellow Drakes.

Jargon Defined:

Dun: Mayflies have two adult stages. They first emerge from the water as duns (scientifically known as the subimago stage). They then molt into the spinner (imago) stage, in which they mate and die. Sometimes the word "dun" is confusingly used to refer to a brownish gray color in fly tying materials.

Ovipositing: To lay eggs.

Spinner: There are two winged stages of adult mayflies. They emerge from the water as duns, molt on land (usually) into their fully mature stage, spinners. As spinners, they mate, lay eggs, and die.