Are these small white caterpillars?

[newmumwithquestions]

Some caterpillars are munching away on our blackcurrants (could be redcurrants, I’m not quite sure).

They look like small white caterpillars, but given they’re near the veg patch with various brassicas which would have seemed a better target I’m not sure... can anyone confirm?

I’m a ‘live and let live’ sort of gardener - I wouldn’t spray them - but will I regret letting them do their thing rather than feeding them to the chickens?

I can't make them out properly in the picture. If they look like caterpillars, they could be sawfly larvae.

Even caterpillars are host specific. Caterpillars that feed on gooseberries and currants wouldn't feed on brassicas and vice versa.

So going back to your question, if you mean "are these small white caterpillars?" well, they're small and white, but I don't know if they're caterpillars because I can't see them clearly enough, but if you mean "Are these the caterpillars of the Small White butterfly?" then the answer is "no, because the Small White larval food plant is brassicas".

if you mean "Are these the caterpillars of the Small White butterfly?" then the answer is "no, because the Small White larval food plant is brassicas"

Sorry I wasn’t clear - I meant caterpillars of the small white butterfly.

Off to google sawfly larvae. I’ll also try to get a better picture. Thanks