An interesting fly landed on Johns finger while sitting by the lake at Rushden.
It was unusual and had very distinctive wings. After some time in the trusty insects of Britain field guide It was identified as an Alder fly.
some facts about Alder flies
- They are identified by their veins that do not fork at the wing margin.
- Eggs laid in batches of about 200 at waterside.
- Larvae crawl into water and feed off other insects.
- Larvae are slow growing and have seven pairs of feathery gills.
- Pupation occurs in the soil, works it’s way to surface as adult appears.
- Life cycle takes a year adult appears May-June.
NATURE TABLE EXPLORER 