Steel Blue Sawfly Larvae

While running in the rain I came across this group of sawfly larvae moving together en masse in the middle of the trail. I’m glad I spotted them, a misplaced foot could really have ruined their day!

This group of Steel Blue Sawfly Larvae was wriggling its way across a wet bush trail

I’ve seen these guys before, they are commonly known as spitfires due to their habit of regurgitating a thick yellow irritating fluid when they feel threatened. I stopped to take a few photos while my running partner caught up. She was a bit grossed out but fascinated too. I touched a few of them, they are soft and squishy, the hairs on their body are nowhere near as spiky as they look. When I got too close they would all start raising their tails and thumping them back to the ground, it was quite a sight! We said our goodbyes and left them where we found them, I hope they got where they were going to safely. See my previous post on Sawfly Larvae for more info.