Tiny Baetis mayflies are perhaps the most commonly encountered and imitated by anglers on all American trout streams due to their great abundance, widespread distribution, and trout-friendly emergence habits.
This specimen appears to be of the same species as this one collected in the same spot two months earlier. The identification of both is tentative. This one suffered some physical damage before being photographed, too, so the colors aren't totally natural. I was mostly photographing it to test out some new camera setting idea, which worked really well for a couple of closeups.
I was in the area of the Icicle River on June 3, so I toured the scenery and admired the power of the river ripping down through the mountains as snowmelt peaks in the high country. I wanted to try some new photography gadgets, so I collected a few nymphs from the river and a tiny, probably fishless tributary called Chatter Creek. It took a long time just to find somewhere I could safely step onto gravel in the river to sample, and the creek that is probably ankle-deep most times was waist deep.