Immediately after the release of my book The Charms of Days Gone By, Ljubica Nićin (this is her maiden name) and a few others noticed that I had forgotten to describe the blooming of the Tisza. This account serves as proof that I truly did forget. The Tisza mayfly, without a doubt, belonged to the exceptional charms of the past. Especially since it, too, has vanished, just like many other former joys of life.
Unlike today's understanding of the "blooming" of seas, rivers, and even the Tisza itself—where the term refers to water pollution by duckweed or algae—here, we are talking about a unique phenomenon. Every year, at the same time, the Tisza is covered by entire swarms of white butterflies resembling acacia blossoms, which is probably why they are called "water flowers."
We, who grew up by the Tisza, love it more than any other river, more than the sea. Other rivers may be clearer, purer, and have a more beautiful color, but we will always find something that places the Tisza above all others. I will not list all the charms of the Tisza, as I have already written about them in my first book of memories of Novi Bečej—The Charms of Days Gone By. Instead, I will try to describe the blooming of the Tisza.
We were proud because we believed that this phenomenon was unique to the Tisza. However, that is not the case. Other rivers bloom as well, especially lowland, muddy rivers. I have heard from those who grew up by the Sava River about the blooming of the Sava. Later, I read that this phenomenon is characteristic of almost all lowland rivers. Regardless of this knowledge, we are still proud of the Tisza mayfly. For us, who grew up by the Tisza, it is a unique phenomenon, as we believe that few rivers have it in such abundance.
The Tisza mayfly is a winged, white-colored insect with three filamentous appendages on its tail. The adult mayfly lives only for a few hours, while its larva can survive in the river mud for several years.
The mayflies emerge on the water's surface in the first half of June, in swarms, covering not only the entire water surface but also the riverbanks. They have even been seen flying along the main street of Bečej. Everything turns white, as if snow has covered the water. However, since the mayfly already resembles an acacia blossom, one gets the impression that acacia flowers have fallen on the river and its banks rather than snow.
The Tisza mayflies flutter harmlessly with their charmingly elongated tails and relatively small wings, hovering almost vertically in the air, often colliding with each other. During their short lifespan, they do not eat nor pollute their surroundings in any way. Yet, we preferred to watch this spectacle from a distance and admire this wealth of the Tisza, as it became nearly impossible to move through the thick clouds of mayflies.
Although I lived in Novi Bečej, I first experienced this phenomenon in 1932, when I traveled daily by boat from Novi to Stari Bečej.
One June morning, at the dock, I noticed several small white butterflies flying around, but I did not know they were Tisza mayflies. As the boat set off and the sun climbed higher, their numbers grew. By the time we approached Stari Bečej, they were so numerous that movement became nearly impossible. Calling them swarms would be an understatement—they were simply one next to the other, forming an entire layer above the water and the surrounding land, as if a cloud of these butterflies had descended.
This spectacle lasted the entire day and into the next. On the third day, only smaller swarms remained above the river, while most of them had already died, floating on the water or sinking beneath it. A layer of now grayish, lifeless mayflies covered the shore.
Fish eagerly feed on them, especially on the larvae of the Tisza mayfly. Fishermen and anglers use special tin "cylinders" attached to long poles, with their bottoms removed, to scoop up mud from the riverbed and collect the larvae as bait.
This phenomenon repeats every year in June, at least when it comes to the Tisza. And although the swarms of mayflies prevent us from swimming for a few days, we still welcome them with joy. We see them as an extraordinary wonder of nature, and we are all happy to have had the chance to witness it.
Almost all residents of Novi Bečej and Vranjevo, as already mentioned, lived under a beautiful illusion—and many still do. I join them in believing that the Tisza mayfly is a unique feature of our beloved river.
Comments