Mayfly spinner

The mayfly season is all too brief, mostly concentrated over a couple of weeks. I wanted to get a close up image of this iconic chalk stream species, so needed to get some control over the process. To do this I used a very soft bug net to capture a male spinner returning to the Avon late afternoon. I then placed the fly on a leaf set up in a light tent, which gives the soft lighting essential to bring out the features of the body and wings. The mayfly was co-operative long enough for me to get my shot before flying off. I think this image shows the intricate details so easy to miss when viewed from a distance on the river bank. Mayflies will sit quietly for a while but most other species do not, giving me a few problems to solve in order to get a couple of other species for the book.