492 in three days!!!!

That's the number of gooseberry sawfly caterpillars I picked off one bush over the course of three days.

This bush is a rogue bush that was probably seeded by birds and landed in our rockery.

It is right by the fence, and we left it to see how well it would fare.

Unlike the other gooseberry bushes further down the garden, it was pretty much untouched by caterpillars earlier on in the year.

Getting to it isn't easy, as it means trampling some geraniums and then balancing on mostly unseen small rocks. Not to be done in sandals, only in trainers!

However there are enough fruits on the bush this year to justify keeping it for the time-being.