#hornworm

[onenicebugperday]

do you have anything neat to share about tobacco hornworms? I got kinda mad at the ones that ate a bunch of my tomato plants' foliage.

They can certainly be destructive! But that's because caterpillars are designed to be eating machines. Gotta get very fat and happy before pupating into adults.

Tobacco hornworms have a special place in my heart since I raised several generations from egg to moth.

Tobacco hornworms are the larval stage of the Carolina sphinx moth, which is relatively large and very pretty!

Lorge. Photos by cassie169, nanofishology, and muir

They remind me a lot of death's head moths, which are some of my favorite species, and which tragically are not available to raise in the US.

In typical sphinx fashion, they feed from flowers and look like hummingbirds when flying, though this species is nocturnal so you likely won't see them flying around in the daytime.

Photo by kim_fleming

In the wild the caterpillars are green because of the yellow plant pigments they eat, but when you raise them in captivity on an artificial diet, they are bright blue, which is EXCELLENT.

Photos by sambiology and via bigappleherp

The caterpillars can make cute clicking noises to scare away predators. Adults can squeak! Or squirt you with a defensive fluid.

Idk if anyone else will think this is cute but their poop looks like little grenades:

Photo via southeasternoutdoors

Once the caterpillars are fat and happy enough, they burrow into the ground to pupate.

They may be destructive in gardens, but captive raised caterpillars are used in biomedical science labs for a whole bunch of different things (including neurobiology!) and of course they are hugely popular in the reptile pet trade as feeders.

Also.......they are precious and I love them :')

#rugessnome #the more you know #insects #bugs #moth #sphinx moth #carolina sphinx #tobacco hornworm #caterpillar #larva #hornworm

[its-a-beautful-day]

In memory of Kaiju and as a gift to @kaijutegu

I wanted to represent tumblr's favorite lizard with her favorite food and the smile we'll remember her by 💖

#star's art #my art #artist on tumblr #Kaiju #Kaiju the tegu #pet memorial #hornworm #Magnolia flowers #Octopus tentacles #Quail egg (not to scale) #Black berries #This has been my most detailed piece to date #I hope yall can see all the love I put into it #Id liked to think #That in memory one lives on #And in memory of me making and painting each scale #I filled each brush stroke with thoughts of her and posts by Kaijutegu #Except for the tentacles those where a bitch to paint and I still don't like them #But that's okay #Thank you for teaching so many of us

[textless]

#insect #caterpillar #hornworm #green #photographers on tumblr #textless #amadee ricketts #datura #leaf #arizona #macro #in the yard #garden #summer #september

[vintagewildlife]

Hornworm moth By: Edward S. Ross From: Insects Close Up 1953

#hornworm #moth #insect #arthropod #invertebrate #1953 #1950s #Edward S. Ross #Insects Close Up (1953)

[welcome-home-my-beloved]

I found a great horned tomato caterpillar in my garden today! The madlad was BIG CHOMPIN

I named him Howdy and let him stay :) He should be safe from birds under my big garden umbrella!

#welcome home #howdy pillar #caterpillar #hawk moth #hornworm

[ikemoths]

mhj. caterpilar. no thought. eat. eat leafe.

#moth #caterpillar #funny #vine moth #goofy #dumbass #eyes #camouflage #adorable #stupid #animal friends #hornworm

[awesomecritterz]

some very plump little hornworms on our tomato plants ( 5 total! )

these tubby little guys turn into rustic sphinx moths :)

#bug #insect #caterpillar #tomato plant #hornworm #rustic sphinx moth caterpillar #manduca rustica #photography #my pics

[monstera-tea]

Tobacco hornworm buddy I found at work :>

#bug #caterpillar #photography #green #tomatoes #farm #urban roots #tobacco hornworm #hornworm #moth #nature

[onenicebugperday]

@pleasespellchimerical submitted: Fattest child!

THICK

#animals #insects #bugs #submission #moth #sphinx moth #caterpillar #tobacco hornworm #carolina sphinx #hornworm

[bugswithcasey]

💚🐛Tobacco horned worms 🐛 💚

I’ve had these guys for five days now!! There starting to get big!!

#bugblr #catipillar #mothraising #moths #tobacco hornworm #horned worms #hornworm #bug collector #i love bugs #bug raising #bugs #wormblr #worms #worm

[textless]

#insect #caterpillar #sphinx moth #hornworm #photographers on tumblr #textless #amadee ricketts #white lined sphinx moth #fingers #flower #red #green #in the yard #garden #fall #autumn #october #hummingbird moth #nom nom nom

[vintagewildlife]

Hornworm pupa By: Edward S. Ross From: Insects Close Up 1953

#hornworm #moth #insect #arthropod #invertebrate #1953 #1950s #Edward S. Ross #Insects Close Up (1953)

[greenkait]

Guess who was overwintering in a bucket that I grew tomatoes in last year, and tipped over to empty today 💁🏻‍♀️

Tomato Hornworm in a cocoon - found in leftover soil and tomato plant roots from 2022.

Clearly fairly developed already with the dark colour and this friend is BIG. Fingers crossed we get to see them hatch into a 5 Spotted Hawk Moth!🤞🏻

If anyone has any recommendations for how to increase this little friend’s chances I’m all ears!

#support your local pollinator #hawk moth #moths #caterpillar #cocoon #green witch #green witches of tumblr #greenkait #gardeners of tumblr #baby witch #5 spotted hawk moth #hornworm

[howlingdemon13]

There’s hornworm nibbling asmr under keep reading. 🐛

#i love this creature #if anything happened to it i would be devastated #i’m in my lydia deetz era #hornworm

[jenfoundabug]

Chonk with banana for scale

(Manduca sexta larvae almost ready to pupate)

#manduca sexta #carolina sphinx #tobacco hornworm #bugs #caterpillar #larvae #nature #animals #arthropods #entomology #insect appreciation #insects #I know they’re agricultural pests #they’re also pollinators #and native species #moths #lepidoptera #hornworm #heckin chonker #chonk #oh lawd #fatty #beefcakes #banana #child #bugblr #absolute unit

[roachiezz]

mb if i havemt posted anything in a while i forgot tumblr existed

bugs... butterfly and a hornworm

#butterfly #hornworm #bugs #i love bugs