Sunday Sawfly: Here and gone

Dolerus on Mayday from 2007

It hasn't snowed since Friday, and while the Weatheroffice continues to predict rather dreary and somewhat below seasonal norm weather for the week, at the moment the Home Bug Garden is between bands of showers and hopping with birds and bugs. One of the more interesting of the latter is a black sawfly about a centimetre long. These have been appearing around the beginning of May for at least the last 6 years and if this morning's was the same as those identified before, probably a grass-feeding Dolerus sp. (possibly nitens). As far as I am concerned, they are welcome to all the quack grass they can eat (we let some grow for our cats, but there is enough to share). Alas for this morning's sawfly, it was quickly snapped up by an Orange-crowned Warbler, bashed against a cherry stem, and eaten. Well, the warbler still has a way to migrate, so it needs its grub.