Animal Kingdom Animalia (Animals)

Several large stoneflies recently emerged and left their nymphal skins on this log in fast water. Imitating the fluttering adults helped me hook a couple trout.

In this picture: Stonefly Family Perlidae (Golden Stones).

These caddisflies were thick over the water in the evening on a cold, clear northwoods lake. They were in many places on the lake, all closer to the shady shore, which also was the shore most sheltered from the wind. I'm not sure which of those features attracted them.

In this picture: Caddisfly Genus Nectopsyche (White Millers).

Here's an above-the-water view of a stillborn (

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This stillborn Ephemerella subvaria dun is trapped in its shuck.

Stillborn: In fly fishing, a stillborn insect is one which got stuck in its nymphal or pupal shuck during emergence and floats helplessly on the surface instead of flying away. It is a specific class of cripple, although it is sometimes used interchangeably with that term.) Ephemerella subvaria dun which I also photographed from below the water.

In this picture: Mayfly Species Ephemerella subvaria (Hendrickson).

A thick mating swarm of Tricorythodes mayfly spinners hovers the West Branch of the Delaware near Hale Eddy one early fall morning. View the picture full-size and you'll be able to make out the wings and tails on most of those little white dots.

This was one of many such clouds visible all up and down the river. The mayflies were impressive, but the trout did not hold up their end of the bargain -- there was not a rise in sight.

In this picture: Mayfly Genus Tricorythodes (Tricos).

Some Hexagenia limbata duns and several smaller mayflies litter the surface of this river during a Hex emergence.

In this picture: Mayfly Species Hexagenia limbata (Hex).

A freshly emerged female Drunella cornuta dun.

In this picture: Mayfly Species Drunella cornuta (Large Blue-Winged Olive).

Here's a fresh ball of eggs from a Hendrickson spinner, photographed to show the proper color for the egg-ball on spinner patterns.

In this picture: Mayfly Species Ephemerella subvaria (Hendrickson).

I didn't manage to collect a nymph, but here's the hollow shuck (

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Here's an underwater view of the pupal shucks of several already-emerged Brachycentrus numerosus caddisflies.

Shuck: The shed exoskeleton left over when an insect molts into its next stage or instar. Most often it describes the last nymphal or pupal skin exited during emergence into a winged adult.) left over from an emerged dun, showing the basic pattern of the nymph.

In this picture: Mayfly Species Ephemera guttulata (Green Drake).