Yesterday morning when I went out to the boulangerie I noticed some cute little caterpillars, curled up asleep after a hard night's chomping on one of my rose bushes. I haven't encountered this species before, but a little research on the net tells me they are probably Curled Rose Sawfly Allantus cinctus (Tenthrèdes du rosier) larvae, which means they are not caterpillars at all, but fausse-chenilles.
The 'false caterpillars' will transform into sawflies, a group of stingless flying insects related to wasps. Many sawflies are serious horticultural pests, and a colony of larvae can consume the host plant in days. My rose seems to only have three individuals, so for the time being they can stay and take their chances on being snapped up by a bird with a late brood of hungry youngsters.Susan
PS The freezer did not arrive yesterday. We got a phone call to say that, malheureusement, it was not possible to make the delivery yesterday, and it would now be Thursday.
1 comment:
Susan
There is a certain type of sawflies that are attacking Berberis plants these days.
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