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Photo#128059
Tomato-Eating Terror - Manduca sexta

Tomato-Eating Terror - Manduca sexta
Medford, Burlington County, New Jersey, USA
July 17, 2007
Size: 4"
Yesterday we noticed our little tomato plant had several chewed-on little green tomatoes. We had chalked it up to rabbits until we found this monster (it seems to prefer the green ones, but only enough to ruin one and then move on to another). I'm fairly certain it's the Tobacco Hornworm since it has seven white stripes and a reddish horn. This picture shows the damage it did to one tomato. I'd like to fancy myself a bug person, but to miss a giant tomato thief like this might be hard to live down...

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Tomato-Eating Terror - Manduca sexta Tomato-Eating Terror - Manduca sexta

crunch and munch
If you stand quietly by your tomato plants you will be able to find them by the sound of their chewing!

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