Sign of Improving Water Quality

Many insects are found in the river and other freshwater habitats as juveniles. Although it is difficult to get into the river, you may find insects emerging as adults from the river.

These insects live their juvenile lives in the water and become terrestrial adults to mate. Mayflies, stoneflies and caddisflies are among the most common aquatic insects and are an important source of food for fish in the river and birds in the forest.

These insects are often used as indicators of clean water, and ecologists use them to monitor the health of the river.  Mayflies often emerge in masses in the spring (hence their name) and you may see them swarming near lights at dusk.  Their main goal as adults is to mate and they often only live for hours or days as adults.

By mid-summer, the Market Street Bridge can become covered with so many mayflies at night that it looks like a snow covered road.  On sunny, warmer February days you may venture to the park to find two species of winter-emerging stoneflies crawling about the rocks and trees also looking for mates. These stoneflies do not fly, even though one species has wings. The other species is very tiny, and the males are wingless. Watch them as they crawl about and you may see them mate!

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