r/HotPeppers • u/ObstacleAllusion • 2d ago

First time I've found one of these...

Post image

And it makes me happy.

Usually it's just a worm and a denuded stalk.

63 Upvotes

98% Upvoted

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10

u/ObstacleAllusion 2d ago

I gave the hornworms my two Cherokee tomato plants and a tomatillo one the weather got warm. But I've waged war on them with my peppers. It's them or me

I throw 6-8 of them into the drainage ditch every day.

I'm leaving this one.

13

u/kinezumi89 2d ago

Everyone hates hornworms but they turn into hummingbird moths, which are pretty cool! (Well, not this one...)

3

u/PicksburghStillers 2d ago

The hornworm pictured looks more like a sphinx moth caterpillar.

I did learn thanks to your comment what a hummingbird moth caterpillar looks like though. Very similar to the tomato horn worm.

6

u/kinezumi89 2d ago

So after some googling, it seems that "sphynx moth" and "hawk moth" are used interchangeably (with hawk moth being a colloquial term); I thought "hawk moth" was short for "hummingbird hawk moth", but it seems there are non-hummingbird varieties too. I thought all hornworms turned into hummingbird moths! A little disappointing, they're such cool little fellas lol

8

u/b_rog_b Zone: 5b 2d ago

Looks like it's been parasitized ... cool!

2

u/BigJeffreyC 2d ago

That one is already dead. Might as well leave it so the predatory wasps hatch from its carcass.

1

u/pkapeckopckldpepprz 9b | FL 2d ago

so does this still do damage with these things clinging on it?

4

u/ImpliedCheese 2d ago

It does not. If you see a caterpillar covered in what looks like dozens of small, white grains of rice, it has already been parasitized and is harmless to your plants. Source

3

u/ObstacleAllusion 2d ago

Not really sure... But I'd guess it will until the little aliens burst out of it.