Who Provides For The Sawfly?

Sawfly on Horsetail drinking dew Cornwall UK Drinking Dew ©Photography of B Smith


When I saw this photo today, I asked permission from Barry Smith to use it. Thankfully, he has given permission and also for the usage of others on his Facebook site. Thanks, Barry.

Many species of sawfly have retained their ancestral attributes throughout time, specifically their plant-eating habits, wing veins and the unmodified abdomen, where the first two segments appear like the succeeding segments. The absence of the narrow wasp waist distinguishes sawflies from other members of hymenoptera, although some are Batesian mimics with coloration similar to wasps and bees, and the ovipositor can be mistaken for a stinger. Most sawflies are stubby and soft-bodied, and fly weakly. Sawflies vary in length: Urocerus gigas, which can be mistaken as a wasp due to its black-and-yellow striped body, can grow up to 20 millimetres (0.8 in) in length, but among the largest sawflies ever discovered was Hoplitolyda duolunica from the Mesozoic, with a body length of 55 millimetres (2.2 in) and a wingspan of 92 millimetres (3.6 in). The smaller species only reach lengths of 2.5 millimetres (0.1 in).

Sawfly Larvae Damage by their Larvae ©Pests.org



Woodpeckar Feeding Chicks From Pinterest

They are a pest for humans


Sawflies are serious pests in horticulture. Different species prefer different host plants, often being specific to a family or genus of hosts. For example, Iris sawfly larvae, emerging in summer, can quickly defoliate species of Iris including the yellow flag and other freshwater species. Similarly the rose sawflies, Arge pagana and A. ochropus, defoliate rose bushes.

They are a pest for humans, yet the Lord, their Creator, cares enough for them to provide dew to drink.


Do we not sometimes misbehave, yet the Lord continues to provide water, sun, air to breathe, and other benefits for us? Critters are provided for, but we, humans, have even a greater blessing available to us. Salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ.

Photograghy of B Smith

Sawfly Wikipedia

Who Paints The Leaves?

4 thoughts on “Who Provides For The Sawfly?

  1. Love the Woodpecker shot Lee! We have a real problem with dieback in Australia in our eucalypts with the Psyllid (tree lice) which because of the greatly desired lerps from the sugary larvae covering on the leaf are harvested and patrolled by the Miner species, especially Bell Miners, so that eventually the chemicals from multiple larvae brown and kill the leaf and eventually the tree. They chase off any birds they think will eat the larvae as well as the lerps, such as the Pardolotes. Many of the honeyeaters have learned how to use their tongue to wipe the lerps without removing the larvae.

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