Alderflies, though neither large nor brightly coloured, are quite often noticed because they perch on leaves, trunks and other objects. They are pretty straightforward to photograph because they tend not to fly away. The larvae are aquatic, and so the adults are most frequently found near water, especially in wooded areas. While the larvae are voracious predators; adults feed mainly on pollen. There are no specific associations with alders, except that alders are often present in waterside woodland. 

A week flying insect with smoky wings and thick, dark veins and they rarely move far from water. Some cadis flies are superficially similar but have hairy wings and never have the series of short veins seen along the front edge of the forewing. Caddis flies also have much longer legs, with prominent spurs.