Blue-winged Olive Mayfly vs Brown Drake Mayfly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Blue-winged Olive Mayfly Brown Drake Mayfly
Scientific Name Serratella ignita Ephemera simulans
Order Ephemeroptera Ephemeroptera
Family Ephemerellidae Ephemeridae
Size 7-10 mm body 14-20 mm
Habitat Rivers & Streams Rivers & Streams
Diet Omnivores Omnivores
Regions Europe North America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Blue-winged Olive Mayfly

A common mayfly of clean rivers and streams with distinctive blue-grey wings. One of the most important mayflies for fly fishing. Nymphs cling to stones in fast water.

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Did You Know?

So important to fly fishers that dozens of artificial fly patterns have been designed to imitate its various life stages.

Brown Drake Mayfly

A large brownish mayfly with mottled wings that produces dramatic evening hatches on trout streams. Nymphs burrow in sandy and silty streambeds.

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Did You Know?

Brown drake hatches occur over just a few days each year, creating some of the most spectacular dry-fly fishing of the season.