These are mayfly stories submitted by visitors to our site that had a humorous or interesting encounter with our little winged wonders. info@mayflynews.net. We'll do our best to get all the stories put up.
I Hate to Bother You, But You're Wearing Mayflies My sister is from Columbus: I am from Canton. She bought a vacation home in
Port Clinton last year and I visited her in June. Sitting by the pool we looked
over Lake Erie and joked that it was almost like being at a Gulf Coast beach
except for the nuclear plant in the distance and the stench of rotting fish.
That night after dinner and a movie in Sandusky, we drove back and I was
speechless to see hundreds of thousands of mayflies swarming around the
streetlights and security lights in the parking lot. Now I am not a squeamish
person. I've camped in the back of a pickup truck all over the Western US when
I was younger. But the sight of these apocalyptic bug clouds had me paralyzed
in that car. She gamely ran out and up the four outside flights of steps to her
condo. I truly debated whether to just drive back to Canton. But, I didn't. I
got out and ran--bugs flying in my face and crunching under my feet.
The next morning, we walked into town for breakfast. The shopkeepers used
brooms and leaf blowers to clean up the mayfly carcasses that littered the town.
That's where we learned that the rotting fish odor was really mayflies. A few
flew at us as we walked but nothing, NOTHING like the night before.
As we waited for a table in a diner, someone tapped me on the shoulder and
said, "I hate to bother you but you have mayflies all over your back and in
your hair."
How my sister escaped being their target, I have no idea. I always knew God
liked her best. ~ Kristine Evans from Canton, Ohio
Mayflies and Pine Trees This was a few years ago but I can honestly say mayflies love pine trees. I was walking my dog by the baseball diamond in downtown Port Clinton a few years ago. I made the mistake of walking too close to the pine tree. Millions of them swarmed. I was trying to swat them out of my eyes, nose and mouth...which just made even more of them leave the tree. My dog & I were just covered from head to toe in them.
The other thing I've figured out by watching them is ...
They can hang on to a glass windshield up to approximately 50 mph. Their little butts are flailing like there is no tomorrow, but they hang on anyway. ~ Mikki from Marblehead, Ohio
