The Urban Pantheist

Common, but not familiar. That's how I'd sum up the humble sawfly (subgroup of Hymenoptera: Symphyta*). As an adult it looks like a wasp with no waist--females have an ovipositor that cuts into plants, giving them their common name. As larvae, sawflies resemble caterpillars so closely that online caterpillar guides are cluttered with them. Unlike most caterpillars, sawfly larvae are often not distinctive enough to be identified to species. This one was feeding on weedy black cherry Prunus serotina** leaves in the yard.


* "With plants"

** "Plum-tree, happening late"