19 September 2013

Sawflies in the Garden

The rather striking larvae of the sawfly Tenthredo scrophulariae have caused considerable damage to the foliage of my Moth Mullein (Verbascum blattaria) plants in the garden this year. However, I'm sure the plants will look just as good next year and I'll be keeping an eye open for the equally striking adults next summer. Compared to our garden moth list of over 700 species, this is only the third species of sawfly that I have managed to identify here, the others being Phymatocera aterrima which appears annually on our Garden Solomon's-seal (Polygonatum x hybridum) and Caliroa annulipes, which infested a dwarf willow (Salix wehrhahnii) for one year only.

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