Watch out for ...

​Chairman Peter Shallcross came across this 'interesting' larva at Boscombe Cutting this week.  Dr John Muggleton helped with the identification:

'The black slimy grub on hawthorn is the larva of a sawfly, known as the Pear and Cherry Slugworm (Caliroa cerasi).  It feeds on a number of rosaceous plants including hawthorn and, as the name suggests, pear and cherry.  There are three generations a year and the larvae found at this time of the year overwinter in the soil before pupating in the Spring.  They exude the slimy stuff as a form of protection - underneath is a normal sawfly larva.'

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