07/22/2026
This week on What’s Bugging Me Wednesday, I wanted to give a nod to the Buttonbush Sawfly, a critter you likely haven’t had a chance to look at closely unless you happen to have buttonbush shrubs in your garden.
While the larvae may look like a caterpillar, sawflies are actually more closely related to wasps, and resemble them as adults (don’t worry, they don’t sting). They get their name due to the saw-like egg-laying structure (ovipositor) that females use to cut into stems of plants in order to lay their eggs. There are a bunch of different types of sawflies, but the Buttonbush Sawfly, as the name implies, needs to be reared on a buttonbush!
Larvae emerge in July, and I usually see them starting on the tips of my buttonbush plants making some very pretty lacy patterns on the new growth. After a week or two of chomping, they go off to pupate. They only come out this one time during the season and after they’re gone the plants typically carry on growing just fine.
So then, what would we consider the Buttonbush Sawfly? Are they a “good” or “bad’ bug? Well, like most things, the answer lies somewhere in between and really depends on your perspective. In my eyes, these friends are just doing their thing and living their lives, a lot like you or me. They’re eating to survive, and are also mighty pretty to look at and fun to watch for a bug enthusiast. If a plant is already struggling or gets hit by a particularly large number of Buttonbush Sawflies, it could do some damage, but one of the many reasons for planting native plants is to support the local ecosystem, and by letting these larvae live on their only host plant you are doing just that. Plus, sawflies provide food to other local critters, and the adults provide some pollination to boot.
TL;DR, Buttonbush Sawflies are cool, won’t migrate to other plants in your garden, and they don’t need to provide any extraordinary services for humans in order for them to deserve a home in your garden ❤️
