I was fascinated to read about a study showing that plants react defensively with chemicals when they hear the munching sounds of a nearby caterpillar.
So far this spring I haven’t found any caterpillars (friend or foe) on any of my plants, but my roses are definitely under attack from rose slugs. Rose slugs are not actually caterpillars but members of the slug family. They are the larvae of the rose sawfly.
Rose slugs skeletonize rose leaves. You might be able to spot one of them on the lower leaf, center-right:
Here’s a close-up:
A forceful water spray can knock them off and kill them, but if your roses are too infested, you might need to use an insecticide.
This year I’ve decided to let nature take its course and let the birds that visit my yard have a go at the little green slugs. So far my roses are blooming just fine despite the attacks.
This is ‘Rainbow Knock Out’:
And this is ‘Darcey Bussell’:
