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Is this a moth? A butterfly? A beetle? Identification please!
October 23, 2009
Hi, I’m a photographer and one day out on my porch I saw this bug. I just had to take pictures of it, but I was completely dumbfounded as to what type of insect it was. The picture was taken early this past summer and I’ve been searching for identification ever since. It’d be great if you guys could tell me what it is so I can finally label it in my portfolio!
Thanks so much!!! Clair Jones
Northern Virginia

Common Burrower Mayfly

Hi Clair,
Your insect is none of the above.  It is a Mayfly, a group of ephemeral insects that only lives in the adult form for a few days, long enough to mate.  Though they often appear in great numbers in the month of May, they can be found at other times as well.  This appears to be a Common Burrower Mayfly in the family Ephemeridae, based on images posted to BugGuide.

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