Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Tobacco Hornworm (Manduca sexta)



Stretching To Reach The Best Parts

This is the critter most folks (including me) call a Tomato Hornworm, but according to BugGuide it is actually a Tobacco Hornworm.  The white literal stripes edged with black and the curved, reddish-colored terminal horn are distinctive.  Regardless, it is the larva of a Carolina Sphinx Moth and can often be found munching on members of the Nightshade family throughout most of North and South America.  (We've also found them eating pepper plants in our garden.)


(The University of Florida has an excellent page comparing Tobacco and Tomato Hornworms, including adult moth images.)

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3 comments:

Anonymous said...

and you have to have a good eye to see them... they blend in very nicely.

Lisa at Greenbow said...

I guess I need to plant some tomatoes to get these to come into the garden. Great shot.

Birdy Official said...

Beautiful capture! A pest, but got beautiful color and markings.