Yesterday, we brought you a view of UNCG's gardens. Related to the garden theme, today, we bring you a photo of the tobacco hornworm who was busy devouring our cherry tomato plant. He was pretty camouflaged so Mr. GDP offered his index finger to point out this giant caterpillar with the voracious appetite. The Latin name for this creature is manduca sexta. His cousin, manduca quinquemaculata- tomato hornworm- looks very similar. Both eat tomatoes and feed on plants from the family solanaceae.
These giant caterpillars are fairly hardy and have a short life cycle, making them great for classroom purposes. As an adult, this caterpillar will become a moth that will have the ability to hover like a hummingbird. Nature is so fabulous to observe and Greensboro is teeming with life, as all of these creatures get ready for winter. For sure, with the wonderful parks and natural areas around Greensboro, we can easily combat nature-deficit disorder. As we sat and watched this beautiful creature, we saw exactly what Eric Carle was thinking when he wrote The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Go for a walk and let us know what you see. Maybe you can even write a book about it!
Oi, a caterpillar bigger than a tomato!
Your way of talking about it is very charitable, considering that it is devouring your crop.
Posted by: Dina | Tuesday, September 18, 2012 at 06:18 AM