Creepy and Crawly
I like Brian’s name for this Tabblo.
Anyone know what’s growing on the caterpillar? Is that his natural skin, or are some other little insects attacking him? Or laying eggs on him? Is he going to eat all my tasty tomatoes, or will he balance the fragile ecosystem of our back yard?
Posted: August 27th, 2007 under Home.
Comments: 1
Comments
Comment from Ab
Time: August 28, 2007, 10:46 am
I think caterpillars are some of the coolest creatures ever, so I had to figure this out. A quick search gave me an answer, but it just made me sad and squeamish.
The caterpillar: almost definitely a tomato hornworm. They aren’t your plants’ friend.
BUT you shouldn’t pick this guy b/c he’s being attacked by the eggs of a Braconid Wasp. They burrow in and kill him. This is considered a environmentally beneficial thing, so you should celebrate his painful death. Sigh.
More info here:
http://www.vegedge.umn.edu/vegpest/hornworm.htm
Write a comment