seasoned hornworm

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brigidlily Lumberton, TX(Zone 8b) Aug 10, 2006

Just a little tale of my afternoon yesterday. I have some peppers in pots. I went over to say hello to them with a little rainwater and noticed some incredible defoliation. Looked closer and saw devastated peppers. Dropped the water and started looking, and found TWO hornworms about as big as my pointer finger.

I have an area I'm solarizing with landscape fabric, so I flicked them over there so birds would see them (though I don't know if birds will eat them -- don't see why not). Apparently I'd killed one but the other started squirming away. So I stabbed it. Rather viciously, I will admit. And guess what? Yes, I got squirted, as anyone who has stabbed or smashed a relatively huge caterpillar can attest will happen.

Well, these guys had been eating chile peppers -- 5 - 6 inch chile peppers -- FOURTEEN OF THEM. I didn't wash the liquid hornworm gut off right away, and a little later my hand started burning like the very dickens. It hurt for several hours, but I really had to laugh. They ruined my pepper plants and then used it against me. I had no idea eating peppers would do this to them!

They had disappeared from the landscape fabric this morning, and I have no idea what finally took them. I hope there's not a sweet little garter snake out there needing rolaids.

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