In Maine, It Might be this Bug, Not Rain, Splattering on Your Car

Who doesn't love a little country drive?

I was driving home a couple nights ago, and when I got off the highway, I had the windows down a bit, and was cranking some tunes, and I heard the sound of rain on my windshield. I thought this to be particularly odd, since there didn't appear to be even a single cloud in the sky. But hey, I'm not always the most observant fellow. A few years ago, this same thing happened, but I had literally no explanation.

This went on for literally, probably 15 seconds. And then I hit the wipers, to clear some of the water off. Only to watch the "rain" start to smear yellow crud all over my windshield. That's when it became very clear to me that it wasn't the soothing sounds of a late spring rain hitting my windshield. It was the soothing sounds of bugs dying.

Get our free mobile app

It was actually my first occasion to drive through, what I think was a Mayfly swarm.

Photo: J Stew

At first, I couldn't identify what they were. They weren't as big and juicy as a June Bug, but were much bigger than mosquitoes or black flies. And they were swarming something fierce. I mean, seriously, they were swarming thick enough for me to think it was rain hitting my windshield for 15 seconds straight. My bumper looked like a winged insect graveyard. Insert throw-up emoji here, haha...

Photo: J Stew

Near as I can tell from looking around online, these might be mayflies swarming. There's a pretty boggy area right near where I ran into the flies, which checks out. And it's that time of year where love is in the air, and they're trying to perpetuate their species. But to fair, I'm no bug expert, and it could totally be something else, but this is what I think they are.

Mainers Often Disregard this Important Winter Driving Law

The swarms don't last long, as the window for their mating habits is pretty narrow. Not like what our friends in the southern part of the country are going through with all the cicadas. That's gotta be awful. But if you're out driving right now, and all of a sudden that little rain shower turns sticky, this may be why. (no pun intended, sorry.)

Mayflies aren't our state insect, but they're one of the messiest.

Quiz: Do you know your state insect?

Stacker has used a variety of sources to compile a list of the official state insect(s) of each U.S. state, as well as their unique characteristics. Read on to see if you can guess which insect(s) represent your state.

Gallery Credit: Andrew Vale