Hex Mayflies
Hexagenia limbata
The famous nocturnal Hex hatch of the Midwest (and a few other lucky locations) stirs to the surface mythically large brown trout that only touch streamers for the rest of the year.
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This specimen keys to the Epeorus albertae group of species. Of the five species in that group, the two known in Washington state are Epeorus albertae and Epeorus dulciana. Of the two, albertae has been collected in vastly more locations in Washington than dulciana, suggesting it is far more common. On that basis alone I'm tentatively putting this nymph in albertae, with the large caveat that there's no real information to rule out dulciana.
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Mottled Willowflies
Like most common names,"Mottled Willowfly" can refer to more than one taxon. They're previewed below, along with 2 specimens. For more detail click through to the scientific names.
Stonefly Species Strophopteryx fasciata
These are pretty much always called Mottled Willowflies.
Several stoneflies of this species were the first adult insects I found in 2004 when I started this site. The hatch was sparse but lasted a good part of the day, and I noted a few good rises despite the early season cold. They ended up struggling on the water's surface fairly often.
See 3 more specimens...
Stonefly Genus Strophopteryx
These are sometimes called Mottled Willowflies.
Strophopteryx fasciata is the most important species of Early Brown Stoneflies.
Several stoneflies of this species were the first adult insects I found in 2004 when I started this site. The hatch was sparse but lasted a good part of the day, and I noted a few good rises despite the early season cold. They ended up struggling on the water's surface fairly often.
See 3 more specimens...