| Key to the list at the end of each section: | |
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Black - Bio Blitz 2015 not photographed |
Blue - Bio Blitz 2015 photographed |
Red - photographed & identified by Volunteers |
Green - from NatureSpot |
All pictures are taken on the reserve. |
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Hover over the following pictures to enlarge |
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Mayflies
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Mayflies are insects which belong to the Order Ephemeroptera (from the Greek ephemeros = ephemeral, or short-lived; pteron = wing). The name refers to the most distinctive features of the adults. They are in an ancient group of insects, the Palaeoptera, ('Ancient wings') with dragonflies and damselflies. |
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Green Drake Mayfly - Ephemera danica John F 2018 The Common, or 'Green Drake', Mayfly is one of 51 species of mayfly in the UK, and is on the wing from April until September (nymphs are present all year-round). Mayflies are common around freshwater wetlands, from fast-flowing rivers to still lakes, where the larvae spend their lives underwater, feeding on algae and plants. In the summer, the adults hatch out - sometimes simultaneously and in their hundreds; they have very short lives (just hours in some cases), during which they display and breed. Many species do not feed as adults as their sole purpose is to reproduce, dying once they have mated. The name 'mayfly' is misleading as many mayflies can be seen all year-round, although one species does emerge in sync with the blooming of Hawthorn (or 'Mayflower'). |
| Bio Blitz ------ 26-06-2015 blue & black Green Drake Mayfly - Ephemera danica Ephemera vulgata |