for beginners

[sandfly]

a must read:
http://hatchesmagazine.com/page/january2006/86

 

[pcray1231]

Yep, I use that exact page as a reference all the time. It's great when you don't remember if genus X has 2 tails or 3.

If it's a bug I truly don't know where to start on, I generally use the mottled vs. plain wings, hind wing size, and # of tails to narrow it down to 4 or 5 genera.

But size, color, timing, etc. vary a lot from place to place and between individuals. So to decide between those final ones, off to troutnut I'll go. Look up your remaining options, there's good photography. Add some common sense. And you can almost always nail down the genus, and often you can make an educated guess on the species.

 

[pgjgarcia]

Awesome, thanks so much for sharing! Great reference page

 

[JackM]

And this is why we care. Some of us, anyway:

Sipping Dry trailer from Sharptail Media on Vimeo.