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Project Noah Nature School
Manduca sexta
this is a tobacco hornworm and the white things on its back are the cocoon of wasps. the wasp lays its eggs inside the worm and when they hatch, they eat it from the inside out.
tomato plants, gardens
i found this in my garden crawling along one of the tomato plants.
Despite their name, Tobacco Hornworms also feed on tomato plants. Those white things on the caterpillar are actually cocoons from the parasitic wasp larva. They will hatch out of the tops of them. Interesting find for sure, not so lucky for the caterpillar!
Spotted on Jul 1, 2011
Submitted on Jul 1, 2011
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