Went to visit the garden this morning. Hadn't been there in two days with the rain. As I approached, I was horrified to see this:
And This!!!!:
There used to be leaves there!
All three of my sweet pepper plants were eaten . My head started spinning. "What's going on???" I say to myself. "What could have done this??" "WHYYYYYYY?" I scream looking up at the sky.
And then I spot THIS:
A Horn Worm!!! Garden enemy Number One!! (Maybe number two after Aphids.)
I was devasted. I must get rid of him.
What is a Hornworm you may ask?
According to The University of Minnesota:
"The tomato hornworm, Manduca quinquemaculata (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae), is native to the United states, and is commonly found throughout the northern states." Well it's here in The Bahamas too! "...large numbers of larvae can sporadically occur in home gardens. Tomato hornworms feed only on solanaceous plants, most often on tomato. However, larvae will also attack eggplant, pepper, and potato......The larva is the damaging stage and feeds initially on the upper portions of leaves, leaving behind dark green or black droppings. The larvae blend in with the plant canopy, and therefore go unnoticed until most of the damage is done"
I had to get rid of him. My daughter begged me not to kill him. "He can be a Science Project for Damon." She suggests. That would be an alternative for other kids, but not Damon. His interest in such things last a little longer than a minute. So what do I do with it?
He's being held prisoner in an empty Parmesan Cheese container. His fate has yet to be determined. Those black balls are his poop btw.
It looks so pretty on the leaves. Not so much in the jar. :)
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