This hornworm destroying my tomatoes.

[u/LiquidOcelot41]

[u/AmbitionAsleep7485]

Looks yummy! Did you know they get their bright color from what they eat?

EDIT: Since I got a message about "why aren't they red" if they are destroying tomatoes. They eat leaves (green), not tomatoes...

[u/BrightnessRen → u/AmbitionAsleep7485]

Interestingly, the ones we buy for our lizard are bright blue because they aren’t fed tomato or tobacco leaves (because those are toxic to our pets!)

[u/Ready_Competition_66 → u/AmbitionAsleep7485]

They will gnaw on tomatoes if there's no leaves handy but it's not their first choice.

[u/Silent-Resort-3076]

Yum, yum, yum, yum!! :)

And, eventually, that hornworm should turn into this (with the help of your tomatoes!

Tomato Hornworm Transformation

[u/Ginkachuuuuu → u/Silent-Resort-3076]

The fucking nerve to bulldoze whole tomato plants and not even come out pretty.

[u/FalconBurcham → u/Ginkachuuuuu]

But have you seen a hawk moth/hummingbird moth move? They’re incredible! They’re just as agile as a hummingbird. The first time I saw one I had to take a triple take.

I let the hornworms have some of my tomato leaves. They haven’t decimated my plants in two years. 🤷‍♀️

[u/socklobsterr → u/Ginkachuuuuu]

I'm in this weird camp where most bugs are gross but I love moths. Some have some pretty drab colors but I think they are so cute.

Look at this fuzzy cutie!

[u/starrpamph → u/Ginkachuuuuu]

Yeah, what a letdown

[u/Silent-Resort-3076 → u/Ginkachuuuuu]

😂

Awww, you've hurt his feelings!

[u/Ginkachuuuuu → u/Silent-Resort-3076]

Such a punchable face

[u/CabinetVisible1053 → u/Silent-Resort-3076]

That then lays more hornworm eggs.

[u/manmm]

Throw that bad boy on a hook and toss him into the nearby watering hole.

[u/MaroonTrucker28 → u/manmm]

My dad had a problem with these years ago. We are both avid fishermen. Why didn't we think of this??

[u/CabinetVisible1053 → u/manmm]

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[u/sm340v8]

Bearded dragons love those munchers

[u/MistyLuHu]

A leaf munching machine! It sucks, but it’s also cool to watch.

[u/bobtheredeyejedi]

I pay my kids a quarter for every one they find and relocate. They will run through so many tomatoes its mind blowing.

[u/Hey-Im-Sorry]

I’d pick that sucker right off the leaf and feed it to my chickens. Or you could just relocate it🙂🤙🏽

[u/floznstn → u/Hey-Im-Sorry]

I bet yardbirds would love a fat juicy one of these

[u/FalconBurcham]

These become very cool Hummingbird moths. So agile! I love watching them fly. I understand if you don’t have the leaves to spare, but if you do, I’d consider keeping them. Great pollinators. I’ve left them alone in my garden for years without issue.

[u/Kevicelives]

Must be Sunday again. Eating through one nice green leaf.

[u/LiquidOcelot41]

It's a leaf on our cherry tomatoes.

[u/garden-wicket-581]

very destructive buggers .. and they got incredible grip when you're trying to pull them off (without squishing them in your hands as you pull.. )

[u/Ginkachuuuuu → u/garden-wicket-581]

I use my plant nippers and just decapitate them.

[u/burritosandblunts → u/Ginkachuuuuu]

Caterpie noooo

[u/MaroonTrucker28 → u/burritosandblunts]

No metapod for you!

[u/floznstn → u/Ginkachuuuuu]

Solvin’ the problem

[snip] he won’t eat anyone else’s tomatoes either

[u/a_complex_one]

Om nom nom nom nom nom

[u/OnlyOneNut]

I sacrificed my pepper plant to one, was planning on keeping him but I think he ate too much and shat himself to death

[u/Bakedfresh420]

This little dude loves the all edge brownie pieces

[u/storm366]

If he's not supposed to eat them why are they so damn tasty.

[u/Hungry_Godzilla]

Yeet it.

[u/Mr_Majesty]

That tree is reserved. If you contain it to just one, that’s it reaches its next level it will pollinate the rest of your garden.

[u/BlizzPenguin]

If you grow delicious plants outside caterpillars are going to notice. From an evolutionary standpoint, tomatoes were probably food for caterpillars before they were food for humans.

[u/Kaiyukia]

How much do they need to eat? I'm wondering if I could just sacrifice suckers to them in a small cage if I ever get them or do they need to eat a ton?

[u/LiquidOcelot41 → u/Kaiyukia]

We have 6 plants in this planter, and so far have seen 3 worms. They have destroyed every plant. So they eat quite a lot from what I have seen. They are cute though and our kids like them, so we just let them be in this planter.

[u/Kaiyukia → u/LiquidOcelot41]

Take a couple suckers so maybe you'll have some back up plants haha

[u/bkwormtricia]

You will soon get a big beautiful moth! You can move the caterpillar to another plant it likes, such a potato, pepper, Jimsonweed, Nightshade, Horsenettle....

[u/Contribution4afriend]

He knows you like pineapple pizza. He is doing a favor sparing those tomatoes destiny.

[u/Retired-para]

I pull them off with a clothespin so I don’t get stung.

[u/Malevolent_Mangoes]

I wanna put it in a tank and keep it in my room

[u/EpicForgetfulness]

I feel your pain. I got one destroying my brussel sprouts. I thought it might be a rabbit but our cats do a good job of keeping them away.

[u/Alternative-Tea-8095]

Oddly satisfying; Let loose my free range chickens and watch them feast on the hornworm like a pack of feathered pirahna.

[u/duhrun]

He was having a good ole day

[u/patmen100]

then a wasp lays its eggs on it

[u/rileyabernethy]

hehehe he's so cute!

[u/Shawarma_llama467]

Om nom nom nom

[u/lllNico]

he looks hungry, lets him eat 😭

[u/DuncanAndFriends]

I used to catch those for fun when I was a kid, they were cool looking

[u/Beginning-One7618]

Great video. Quite the creature!

[u/ToyStoryRex97]

These guys have been destroying my tomato plants.

[u/MrWhiteKnight777]

r/natureisfuckinglit

[u/TomatoKindly8304]

Makes me want to eat a leaf

[u/Visible-Scientist-46]

Tomato hornworm is the hummingbied moth! They beat their wings very fast and it sounds just like a hummingbird. Almost same size.

[u/i_r_faptastic]

Off with his head!

[u/CabinetVisible1053]

My mom had organic pest control for these pest. It was pick them off the plant and use her nail to pop the head off. Same with grasshoppers. She expected us to do the same. We had a huge vegetable garden. I learned to hate bugs.

[u/BaconMeetsCheese]

Delicious if deep fried them with black pepper and sesame, vegetarian friendly as well…

[u/69vuman]

5% Siven dust.

[u/portabuddy2]

In what world is that a tomato leaf?

[u/LiquidOcelot41 → u/portabuddy2]

It's a leaf on our cherry tomatoes.