While browsing through my pictures taken on a year in British Columbia, I came across these Tomato Hornworm (Manduca quinquwmaculata) pictures. We were warned by the people we swapped houses with to watch for these pests and sure enough several appeared on the tomato plants. We duly removed most of them, but I took a picture first.
One I kept, and fed tomato leaves in a jar and it soon completed its growth and pupated. It was photographed as a caterpillar on 25th August 1997. It emerged as a beautiful moth on 6th October the same year. Here it is just emerged from its chrysalis. No, I did not let it free to infest more tomato plants! This is one pest that we do have here in Australia.
It's simply amazing how many patterns emerge in nature!
nice pics, kennedyh! Thanks for sharing!
What other pests do ya'll have down there?
