sippyjug104 Loc: Missouri

Our daughter has some lovely tomato plants and while picking some today she found some of the Hornworm Caterpillars which are HUGE compared to those of most other species. They grow from four up to six inches at times. Although their favorite plants are tomato they can be found on peppers and eggplants.

I brought this one home and placed it in boiling water so that I could preserve it without it turning black and I staged it for a focus stacking session at low magnification.

When these big green monsters hatch they start to eat voraciously. These caterpillars can strip a plant overnight and then start demolishing the fruit. In no time at all the plants are void of their leaves and fruit. Because they are large enough to be easily seen, picking them off and dispatching them is the best form of control.

They do have some natural enemies so you may see some of these caterpillars with white 'rice like' things all over them. These soft white growths are actually the cocoons of a special parasitoid wasp – a species of braconid wasp. The adult female wasp uses her ovipositor to lay eggs just under the skin of the hornworm. When they’re ready to pupate, the braconid wasp larvae chew their way out of their host, the unlucky hornworm, and spin silk cocoons on the caterpillar’s exoskeleton. The tiny adult wasps emerge from these cocoons a short time later. It's nature's way of keeping things in balance.

The caterpillars come down the plants and burrow into the soil to pupae through the winter and they emerge as a moth in the spring to mate and lay their eggs.

By the way....these monsters poop all over the plants..!

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Manglesphoto Loc: 70 miles south of St.Louis

Beautiful image!!! of an Ugly S.O.B.

JRiepe Loc: Southern Illinois

Very nice. I like it.

Country Boy Loc: Beckley, WV

Good shot, I found one of these on a tomato plant about 3 years ago and never seen one before or after. Made me wonder where the source came from.

docshark Loc: Millersville, PA

Great shot Gary. Yes they can be very destructive.
>i< Doc

sippyjug104 Loc: Missouri

Thanks, if you ever see them on your plants its best to dispose of them for they are non-stop eaters.

sippyjug104 Loc: Missouri

Thanks, JRiepe. I tried to stage this critter in a more natural setting than being out in space.

sippyjug104 Loc: Missouri

Thanks, the moths have evolved to know where their eggs have the best chance of survival by placing them on a ready supply of food which tomato plants are their favorite.

sippyjug104 Loc: Missouri

Thanks, Doc. I wanted to try something a bit different with this one so I staged it in a more natural setting although at much less magnification than my norm.

kpmac Loc: Ragley, La

Very nice.

JeffDavidson Loc: Originally Detroit Now Los Angeles

Beautiful!

tinusbum Loc: east texas

love that shot! around here the parasitic wasps get a lot of them

sippyjug104 Loc: Missouri

Thanks, Kpmac. I suspect that these demons are all over your plants down there.

sippyjug104 Loc: Missouri

Thanks, Jeff. It's nice to hear that you enjoyed seeing it.

sippyjug104 Loc: Missouri

Thanks, Tinusbum. The little parasitic wasps tend to keep them in balance along with the birds picking them off. The bad news is that they eat like there is never an end so each day they can do a great deal of damage to a garden or commercial plantings.