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Tobacco Hornworm

Manduca sexta

Published on Project Noah
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39.7902, -89.6648

Field Notes

Description:

Hornworm with wasp eggs

Habitat:

Garden

Species ID Suggestions

Carolina Sphinx (Tobacco Hornworm)

Manduca sexta

Comments (1)

Cool find! Tomato Hornworms (Five-spotted Hawkmoth) have eight V shaped stripes on the sides. They can both be found feeding on tomato and related species of plants. Your caterpillar has seven diagonal stripes that can be seen even with the wasp cocoons. The parasitic wasps lay eggs inside of these caterpillars. When the larva are ready to pupate, they emerge from the body of the caterpillar and create these neat little cocoons on the outside of the body.

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Photographed
PublishedSeptember 14, 2014

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