What's Eating our Tomato Plants? - Wildlife Gardeners

Birding Bunch · 08-06-2012, 11:30 AM

The location we put our tomatoes this year has been pretty much pest free-except for the coyotes... We were out harvesting our little sweet pea variety when one of the children noticed this. He was ready to squish it, but something about the pattern caused me to stop him. We only saw the one in all our tomato hunting, so I brought it in and we sacrificed a bit of a plant for it to eat off of. And this thing makes some frass! Double the size of Monarch, which that really impressed the children.

So? Is this something worth keeping, or does it get the squish?

MrILoveTheAnts · 08-06-2012, 11:44 AM

It looks like a Sphinx Moth of some kind. To complete their life cycle they need to burrow in the ground. A good way to find if there's more of them in your garden is to lay cardboard under the plants so you can hear the poop dropping. Other Sphinxes like the Tomato Horn Worm are much better about hiding on the plants.

suunto · 08-06-2012, 01:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Birding Bunch

The location we put our tomatoes this year has been pretty much pest free-except for the coyotes... We were out harvesting our little sweet pea variety when one of the children noticed this. He was ready to squish it, but something about the pattern caused me to stop him. We only saw the one in all our tomato hunting, so I brought it in and we sacrificed a bit of a plant for it to eat off of. And this thing makes some frass! Double the size of Monarch, which that really impressed the children.

So? Is this something worth keeping, or does it get the squish?

Squish. It is a larva of a moth in the family Noctuidae (owlet moths), most likely the yellow-striped armyworm, Spodoptera ornithogalli - see Yellow-striped Armyworm - Spodoptera ornithogalli - BugGuide.Net for an image. However, some larvae of the large yellow underwing, Noctua pronuba, can be quite similar in appearance - see http://bugguide.net/node/view/243152/bgimage for an example. Examination of their head capsule may be necessary to tell them apart.

Birding Bunch · 08-06-2012, 02:00 PM

Thanks for the replies. Aaw... why does something so interesting looking have to be a nasty?! I was hoping it'd turn into a pretty. I guess we need to hunt for more. This would be the first time we had to deal with anything on the tomatoes this year.

I've been watching this one in the container and it sure does eat fast. No wonder it poops like that.

08-06-2012, 11:30 AM	#1
Birding Bunch Grub Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Iowa, USA	What's Eating our Tomato Plants? The location we put our tomatoes this year has been pretty much pest free-except for the coyotes... We were out harvesting our little sweet pea variety when one of the children noticed this. He was ready to squish it, but something about the pattern caused me to stop him. We only saw the one in all our tomato hunting, so I brought it in and we sacrificed a bit of a plant for it to eat off of. And this thing makes some frass! Double the size of Monarch, which that really impressed the children. So? Is this something worth keeping, or does it get the squish? Attached Thumbnails

08-06-2012, 11:44 AM	#2
MrILoveTheAnts 1st Place Winner Winner Butterfly/Moth Contest & Official Ant Man Join Date: May 2009 Location: New Jersey	It looks like a Sphinx Moth of some kind. To complete their life cycle they need to burrow in the ground. A good way to find if there's more of them in your garden is to lay cardboard under the plants so you can hear the poop dropping. Other Sphinxes like the Tomato Horn Worm are much better about hiding on the plants. __________________ MrILoveTheAnt's Blog, Ant Chat, & Native Plants for Honeybees

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08-06-2012, 02:00 PM	#4
Birding Bunch Grub Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Iowa, USA	Thanks for the replies. Aaw... why does something so interesting looking have to be a nasty?! I was hoping it'd turn into a pretty. I guess we need to hunt for more. This would be the first time we had to deal with anything on the tomatoes this year. I've been watching this one in the container and it sure does eat fast. No wonder it poops like that.