What Lives Under River Rocks & Grows Wings for Only a Day?

Can you imagine living your normal life… and then suddenly growing wings? Humans don’t grow wings, of course. But mayflies do! They spend almost their whole lives in freshwater rivers, ponds, and lakes—and then one day they grow wings, rise out of the water, and take to the sky… but not for long. While mayflies can live up to three years in the water, they may only live for a few hours to a couple of days once they start flying.

 

Last week, my kids and I found hundreds of mayfly larvae, called nymphs. I pulled on my rubber boots and waded into the river while we flipped over rocks. Sure enough—mayfly nymphs were clinging to the stones and scurrying around. I was thrilled to find so many, because mayfly nymphs are a sign of clean river water. Here is a picture my son drew of one of the mayfly nymphs.

As they grow, mayflies molt (shed their outer covering) several times. After one to three years in the water, they go through a special molt and grow their first wings—almost like “practice wings”—so they can leave the water and fly to nearby vegetation. Then they molt one last time and grow their true wings. They are the only known insect to have two different adult stages with wings. In the short time they have left, they find a mate so eggs can be laid and the next generation can hatch. Many mayflies even time their hatching so lots of them are ready to mate at the same time—because their window is so small. It might feel sad that they only get to enjoy their wings for a day or so, but it’s also wonderful that God designed them just right to multiply and fill the earth.

 

The mayfly nymphs my kids and I found weren’t daydreaming about growing wings. Mayflies can’t think ahead to the future the way we do. And yet they still grow up through the process God wrote into their DNA. They follow their instincts, and one day they’re out of the water and up in the air.

 

We can think about the future—but there are still many things we can’t picture yet. Still, we can trust that God has good plans for us, with hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11). So if you ever spot a mayfly nymph clinging to a river rock, remember: one day it will grow wings and take to the skies. And likewise, God has more in store for you than you can even hope for or imagine.

"With God’s power working in us, God can do much, much more than anything we can ask or imagine."

Ephesians 3:20

Dear God, I know you have great plans for my life. Help me to trust and follow you as you prepare me for things greater than I can imagine.

Fun Fact:

Mayfly nymphs have 3 cerci (they look like tails), while stonefly nymph have two. For a fun game at the river, try to find and identify mayfly or stonefly nymphs by the number of cerci. *Only play by or in the water with adult supervision.