Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Gardening

Find tips and tricks to make your garden or allotment flourish on our Gardening forum.

Caterpillar ID please

12 replies

DieCryHate · 21/07/2019 17:41

Sorry as not strictly gardening but couldn't see a wildlife section.

Found this little critter today. Tried it on INaturalist and google image but no joy.

Anyone have an idea on what it is? Thanks.

Caterpillar ID please
OP posts:
TheGirlOnTheLanding · 21/07/2019 18:07

I'd try here http://www.wildlifeinsight.com/guide-to-british-caterpillars/help-with-caterpillar-identification/ - they have ID galleries for all the British butterflies and moths, and if you can't match it up, you can email them with a request to help identify it. What it's feeding on and where you found it will help.

DieCryHate · 21/07/2019 18:16

Perfect @TheGirlOnTheLanding thanks very much.

OP posts:
MereDintofPandiculation · 21/07/2019 18:31

That may not be a caterpillar. You see 3 pairs of legs just behind the head? then behind that there are little lumps sticking out - these are prolegs, or they would be if this were a caterpillar. But caterpillars have 2-5 pairs of prolegs, and this creature has 6.

So it's definitely an insect larva of some sort, but not a moth/butterfly larva.

The things that are most often confused with caterpillars are the larvae of sawflies. So the first stp in identifying it might be to google sawfly

MereDintofPandiculation · 21/07/2019 18:32

And of course if it's a sawfly larva it's very relevant as sawfly larvae spend most of their time eating garden plants.

DieCryHate · 21/07/2019 18:51

@MereDintofPandiculation thank you. It was in our conservatory but not too far away outside is my potted rose which I have previously found a sawfly which was trying to lay its eggs. I have sent off the photo to the website thegirlonthelanding kindly suggested. In the time it took to go sort out my toddler I came back and the larvae/caterpillar has disappeared Hmm

OP posts:
Jupiter13 · 21/07/2019 18:54

I'm a keen gardener..it's a green burrow back caterpillar...it's normally found on green foliage and has very good camouflage..be careful they can sometimes bite

NotYourHolidayDick · 21/07/2019 18:56

Looks to me like a cabbage white with those horrible wasp things coming out of it. Hold on ill get a pic. I had a couple and it was FACINATING

Jupiter13 · 21/07/2019 18:56

It's related to the brown burrow back caterpillar which is normally found on brown twigs...it also has good camouflage

NotYourHolidayDick · 21/07/2019 18:57

Parasitic wasps. I can't attach a pic but Google. Maybe I'm totally wrong 😂

PigeonofDoom · 21/07/2019 21:43

I think it’s a beetle larva but goodness knows which one! They have the prolegs though.

Bloody hate sawfly- I spend summer battling them on gooseberries and Solomon’s seal. Gave up growing the viburnums they like

DieCryHate · 22/07/2019 16:22

Thanks all! It's definitely a naughty saw fly. I checked the rose nearest the house and sure enough there was a few on it and I found the branch where they have erupted from. Little sods.

OP posts:
PigeonofDoom · 22/07/2019 22:45

Bleuch, you have my sympathies!

New posts on this thread. Refresh page
Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.

This thread is closed and is no longer accepting replies. Click here to start a new thread.

Swipe left for the next trending thread