Rose leaves turn brown - Ask Extension
The leaves on my roses have been turning brown. Originally there are brown spots and eventually the whole leaf is brown and is very thin. Tonight I ...
Knowledgebase
Rose leaves turn brown #873723
Asked June 18, 2024, 9:49 PM EDT
The leaves on my roses have been turning brown. Originally there are brown spots and eventually the whole leaf is brown and is very thin. Tonight I did find a couple of caterpillars on the back of the leaves; I don't see a lot of them though. My roses have done this before. They seem to come back and bloom again later in the summer and are fine the next spring. Pictures are the beginning stages, then leaves that are completely brown and then the caterpillars.
Moody County South Dakota
Expert Response
That looks like roseslug damage - https://extension.umn.edu/yard-and-garden-insects/sawflies#roseslug-1044161. Roseslugs are not slugs, but sawfly (a kind of wasp) larvae (not adult stage).
We have one generation per year, which explains why you see the damage early in the season and then the plants grow out of it - https://yardandgarden.extension.iastate.edu/encyclopedia/rose-sawfly-roseslug
