Lemon stripes and nighttime grazers: Meeting the yellow-sided clover-sawfly

The yellow-sided clover-sawfly (Tenthredo notha) is a striking late-summer flyer easily spotted by its vivid lemon-yellow and black body. Growing up to 11 millimeters long, these bright insects thrive along woodland edges, hedgerows, and flowery meadows across Europe. Adults are versatile feeders: they sip nectar from umbrella-shaped flowers while actively hunting smaller insects. Their caterpillars, however, lead a stealthier life—they hide during the heat of the day and emerge under the cover of darkness to graze on white clover leaves. Because they look almost identical to a few closely related sawfly species, spotting one takes a careful eye. I met this stunning individual during an afternoon walk near my home in Barkarby, Sweden.

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