Mayfly

Did you know Canada.. there are some folks across the nation that are cringing every time they go outside between May and the middle of July because they are always on the look out for Mayflies.

The Mayfly is known by many names - "dayfly", "shadfly", "dunes", "canadian soldiers", "lake fly" or "fishfly" around the Great Lakes.

Surprisingly the lifespan of an adult Mayfly can vary from just 30 minutes to one day depending on the species as an adult Mayfly does not eat or drink (they actually have underdeveloped mouths and can not feed), the primary function of the adult is reproduction only (a female Mayfly releases up to 8,000 eggs).

The Mayfly is very susceptible to pollution, so funny enough Mayflies are a good indicator species for the health of a lake - though no one may want to be around the lake when swarms of these large insects are around.

Mayflies are an important food for fish and appreciated by many fishermen, especially fly fishermen after trout - many of their lures are based off of Mayflies.

They are known to be the oldest insect alive, and are believed to date back from about 300 million years ago. While not everyone appreciated the Mayfly they are a pretty interesting species!