I thought sawfly larvae have no less than 6 pairs of legs. This has only 3 pairs (that I could see, maybe some are much smaller). Perhaps I will capture one and let it pupate. Any suggestions to aid in development?

Also, thanks for the cropping!

all insects have only three pairs of true legs. The prolegs are what you need to count - stumpy fleshy protrusions along the body. Unfortunately they are not visible from this angle.

If you have more of these around, it would help to know what they are eating. If they are wandering away from food, they are probably ready to pupate, and easy to raise from that point (though you might need to overwinter them).

Okay, that's what I figured "prolegs" were, the stumpy, lesser seen legs. Unfortunately, they aren't eating when I see them, they are just walking along my porch railings. Maybe I'll follow one for a while to see if it goes to vegetation.

As far as raising through pupation, just a branch in a container is all they need? How about lighting, does it have any effect on pupation?

Thanks for the help.

your guess is as good as mine! I don't know where or how they pupate. If they are leps, I believe light doesn't make a difference, though cold temperatures will delay emergence from the pupa. Even if they are moths, they might need leaf litter or soil to pupate. I don't think they are butterflies, in any case, which almost always would use a stick.

Thank You, Hannah.