FAVOURITE FOOD: MAYFLIES

Despite their name, the 50 or so species of mayfly found in the British Isles crawl up from the depths to emerge in adult form throughout the spring and summer. The winged adults live only for a day or so – just enough time for them to mate and die. In contrast, mayfly nymphs survive for anything from a few months to a year or more. They are recognisable by a trio of extravagantly long tails almost the length of their bodies, that are sometimes mistakenly thought of as gills. The real feathery gills line up like oars in a galley along the abdomen.