I swear he growled at me....

right before I loped off his head with my rose pruners.
*shivering at the ordeal*

I found 2 more on our heirloom tomato... ugh!

I know they are incredibly difficult to see (at least for humans)... but I have a backyard full of birds.
So I questioned them (the birds) as to why they didn't eat (what to a bird must be) a juicy delight.

The birds didn't answer.

Great shots!! I swear, I can stare at that tomato plant for hours, and I still can't see them! Oh I can see their poop, all right! That, and their damage, is how I know they are there! As for the birds: Would you eat that thing?! I pick them off and throw them on the concrete driveway. Leave them there for any bird that might be so inclined.....

That's what alerted me CeeJay... the bare nubs where foliage used to be.
I just stood their staring and suddenly it came into focus... kind of weird.

Did you see the size of those bite marks on the green tomato? Bloody 'ell !
It's probably bigger than many of the finches in my garden.

I though I found & killed them all, but I went back a few minutes ago and found 1 more ack!

I really think it hissed at me... have you ever heard them make noise?
(I admit I was pokin' at it trying to get a good picture)

I've never seen them actually eating a tomato. A leaf yes, a tomato, no. That is so neat! I remember going out to my tomato plant a few years back and it had practically disappeared. They can really do a number! You just don't notice them when they are small, and then they get big and over night - eat that thing to the ground. I had to make several trips back to find them all. I would think that was it, and I would be wrong. Keep looking. LOL
CJ

The funny thing is M takes it very personal when critters of any kind munch on our plants.
When he gets home I'm sure he will go out there and give it the once over.

And yeah, that's another thing, I check my plants everyday. Yesterday was the exception. So 1 day and that thing is a Baby Huey chowin' down.
sheesh

They can make an audible sort of clicking sound. Someone with chickens referred to them as "green twinkies" and my hens agree. Yum yum.

I once showed one of those to my nephew. It had white bumps on its back. I explained to him that
this was natures way of taking care of the terrible pest. That the bumps were wasp eggs. I don't
have kids & I was so proud to be sharing a "nature in action" story with my city-born nephew. His
reaction? "OH YOU HAVE TO SAVE THAT POOR HORNWORM". Ack! He begged me to get
those eggs off him. (Now you know why I don't have kids. Not the reaction I was expecting. )

but on the bright side - don't those beasts turn into the very interesting hummingbird moth?

Tam

Zeppy,
I told my husband we needed chickens!
He thinks our dog would probably have a problem with that. *L*

Tammy,
Cute story.
I was thinking today as I quivered and shivered at the site of these monsters, how a friend told my daughter to pay her children a dime for every worm they picked off her vegetable plants... yeah right.
If I can barely deal with it I can imagine my grandchildren would freak at the idea.

I'm gonna have to Google Hummingbird Moth, I've never seen one.
Dove