What’s happened to my plants?

[NauseousNancy]

I think these are spirea plants (not very green fingered). Something has completely stripped the leaves. No other plants have been touched - these are in between lupins, peony roses and rose bushes. Those are completely untouched!

what could it be?

Damage like that is usually a caterpillar or a sawfly. Have a look on any uneaten leaves and see what you can find.

Caterpillars and sawfly larvae have specific foodplant, so not surprising to find a plant stripped and neighbouring plants untouched

Gosh, whatever it was certainly has a large appetite. Are there any caterpillars ? I'm waiting for someone knowledgeable to come along as I'm interested to know what it is. I've had similar with verbascum , completely stripped by a specific caterpillar and viburnum beetle has also devastated some plants but that has a more lacy effect. Hope you get an answer soon.

Something had a good dinner! I’d prune it down so it can put energy into growing new shoots.

My Solomons Seal gets scoffed every year. It always comes back though, stronger than ever.

Sawflies are usually a good bet, eg Solomon’s Seal Sawfly. I think the Solomon’s Seal may have got used to it, it doesn’t seem to worry about losing all its leaves.

So I googled Spirea Sawfly - and there is one, but it’s specific to Aruncus, Goatsbeard (which used to be in-the genus Spirea). So that’s got us back to caterpillars for the OPs plant

Verbascum stripped would be mullein moth caterpillar. Huge colourful caterpillar - boring brown moth.

If it's caterpillars or sawfly they're probably pupating in the ground round the base of the plant. Perhaps cardboard and bark mulch might suppress a second generation. Or rake it to turn them up and let the birds have at it.

Oh I have two Mullein Moth Caterpillars on my buddleia - they're huge & fascinating. The buddleia is huge too, so not worried about it being stripped.

Ah yes, that's the one, last year the verbascum was absolutely covered, top to bottom. This year, not one to be seen so far.

Thanks everyone! I’m going to go and have a look and see if I can see anything - had a good look last night and couldn’t see a thing!!

I think it may actually be an astilbe!

It could be an Aruncus from the leaves, in which case it could be Spirea sawfly,

I have just googled Aruncus and that’s it, that’s exactly what the ‘flowers’ look like!

Spirea sawfly aka Aruncus sawfly then!

Mystery solved, thank you .