I found this lady on my patio yesterday. I think it's a stonefly. I grabbed a couple of snaps with my phone. I thought people might like to see the shade of yellowy green on the underside of the head and thorax, which is quite striking compared to the dark grey of the abdomen.

I think she may have been looking for somewhere to lay her eggs but we are 400m from the nearest stream. She flew off after my brief interruption.

SharkeyP

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Often thinks not travel widens,
Stay at home the Trout obliges.

No, not a stonefly, it's an Alder.

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[I]"I still don't know why I fish or why other men fish, except that we like it and it makes us think and feel."[/I] Roderick L Haig-Brown

[url]www.wildfly.net[/url]

[url]http://www.gameanglinginstructors.co.uk/[/url]

I thought it was a stonefly too at first glance

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Musha rig um du rum da

Where I started fly fishing, Stithians in Cornwall, we used to get large numbers of these in April and May as well as Hawthorns and they would both provoke a lot of surface activity.

There were a good few Alder flies about at Elinor on Friday.

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[I]"I still don't know why I fish or why other men fish, except that we like it and it makes us think and feel."[/I] Roderick L Haig-Brown

[url]www.wildfly.net[/url]

[url]http://www.gameanglinginstructors.co.uk/[/url]

It is a female Stonefly, Possibly Perlodes microcephala. The wings are flat across the back where the Alder's are roofed.



This is a male stonefly, notice the lack of wings.



This is an Alder Fly.

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Don't worry, be happy.
Sandy
Carried it in full, then carry it out empty.

Maybe my first snap doesn't show it, here's a bigger version. I agree with Fishtales, the wings are held flat, not roof shaped. And you can make out the forked tail, like two trailing legs. Bigger than an Alder too, at 20mm+ not counting antennae and tails.

SharkeyP

__________________
Often thinks not travel widens,
Stay at home the Trout obliges.

Guys, you're right ... apologies!

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[I]"I still don't know why I fish or why other men fish, except that we like it and it makes us think and feel."[/I] Roderick L Haig-Brown

[url]www.wildfly.net[/url]

[url]http://www.gameanglinginstructors.co.uk/[/url]

I had to check it out Paul, and it did indeed look like a alder fly.

Completely different nymph though, there's a cracking picture of one here

I have to admit I'd have been stuffed to ID one in a kick sample so it was an interesting process to look into the differences .

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Musha rig um du rum da

I hadn't noticed the tails in the original ......

Thanks for interrupting my typing with a phone call Colin .... and for reminding me I'm a "....ing idiot!"

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[I]"I still don't know why I fish or why other men fish, except that we like it and it makes us think and feel."[/I] Roderick L Haig-Brown

[url]www.wildfly.net[/url]

[url]http://www.gameanglinginstructors.co.uk/[/url]

You're very welcome Paul, I thought a pertinent comment on your observations might be in alder!

Mr. Finylas phoned me while I was out, apparently the camera which I'd left in his car over a year ago suddenly turned up today.....

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Musha rig um du rum da