Caterpillar poop. Probably hornworm. They are green caterpillars that eat tomato plants. They can do some damage, try your best to find them and pick them off. Follow the poop!
Anytime I spot caterpillar frass I go out at night with a black light to look for hornworms. They fluoresce under blacklights. I gather them up and offer them to the feathered gods under the bright morning sun.
I bought a blacklight headlamp a few years back at a headshop near Lake Okeechobee, that thing has more than paid for itself.
I like to put headphones on and listen to the soundtrack from John Carpenter's The Thing while hunting the chunky bastards down.
"Straight to the birdfeeder, mf'er!"
I've been lucky in that a yellow garden spider has moved into one of my elephant ears. Shes probably sick of me dropping these green juice bombs into her web because she has to do a lot of reknitting.
But I'd like to think that we have a good relationship.
I've given her 3 small hornworms, 2 fuzzy webworms, and one speedy garden beetle. (I'm obsessed)
If you love feeding things to things, may i suggest carnivorous plants! they looooove big squishy bugs and it's sooooo satisfying to drop them into the traps!!
My grandma had a Venus flytrap when I was a kid. I would chase flies for hours just to watch that plant devour them. It was fascinating and as I'm writing this, I feel the need to include the "I'm not a psychopath" disclaimer.
https://preview.redd.it/w82puo15fl6d1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d2199d1870c7d516f7660f189a68e728e73eb0f7
I have a Sundew and she is helping with my gnat problem, there's a small VFT in there and a Butterwort too! I just love them so much and enjoy them catching and eating my bugs!
That Sundew plant is very interesting and disgusting at the same time.
I want one! š
It must be Hell on Earth when it comes time to re-pot it I bet!
Definitely be smarter than me! It can't be worse than repotting my spiney cactus'! I do know they only need long strand spagnium moss, so now i just gotta figure out how to move it without triggering all the traps and killing her š probably long tweezers tbh they help with a lot of these kinds of plants lol
Iām definitely going out tonight with a black light. I picked one off my tomatoes the other day. I havenāt SEEN any more, but where thereās oneā¦
I have a young family across the road from me who send their kids over to exchange labor for produce throughout the summer.
The wee beasties enjoy hunting down garden pests and pulling weeds with my water weeder rig.
My partner sometimes sends them back home with pies, pickled goods, and homemade wine. They're good kids, but the youngest one likes to smuggle wildlife home in her pockets. Last year I caught her trying to shove an opossum into her backpack.
Especially coastal California.
Itās perennial in zones 9-11.
(I looked it up because I love alyssum. I am not worried about growing it in pots here in zone 5, but I wouldnāt put it in the ground in Berkeley.)
Crap. TIL Iām an asshat and am enthusiastically growing an invasive species in its prime habitat. (I got the seed packets from a local center dedicated to urban food and farming of all places too!) The lacy phacelia (native here) is doing a good job at crowding it out at least.
iāve got them! now whoās their friend? w
https://preview.redd.it/v7ug2imjsk6d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=024f7d1d0722812aa67dcadacdc0eba2351778fb
Note to OP: If you find one with little white things sticking up out of its back, LEAVE IT. Those are the eggs of a parasitic trichonid wasp (harmless to humans). When they hatch they will burrow into the caterpillar and devour it from the inside, then fly off to attack other hornworms.
Wait till you hear about the fungus that consumes a cicadaās rear end and replaces it with itself then infects more cicadas when the zombiebutt host tries to mate.
Small pedantic correction: The white balls you see on the outside are actually the cocoons of the larvae after they emerge from the caterpillar. The eggs themselves are tiny and inserted into the caterpillar.
I couldn't find a good video of one emerging, but [here's a picture](https://media.sciencephoto.com/c0/06/58/40/c0065840-800px-wm.jpg) for anyone curious. The wasps are *tiny*.
I hate that their moths are so cool. Iāve actually got a cheep sacrificial Walmart tomato plant this year to move any too if I get them again this year.
At least two species of *Manduca* eat tomatoes. "Tomato hornworm" usually refers to *Manduca quinquemaculata* and "Tobacco hornworm" usually refers to *Manduca sexta*, and both species can be found on both tomato and tobacco plants.
Whoosh.
Your gotcha moment was the point of my comment. Thereās over a thousand species, being one off it pedantic as fuck, especially considering you know people mostly get tomato hornworms.
Hornworms do turn into beautiful moths but they can kill your tomato in the process. Best way to find hornworm is with a black light at night. You can find in day they just blend VERY well
https://preview.redd.it/1yqth43clj6d1.jpeg?width=2268&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2f24e2aea9f7e766557469449e36adb166d393d8
found this guy in my garden earlier this week.
Man I *hate* the way these things look, especially under black light. The moths are gorgeous but something about the caterpillars just makes me physically cringe, haha.
Now that I think about it, might be the horror memory of reading the Addy book (American Girl) where she's forced to eat tobacco worms š¤¢
I usually notice defoliated tomato branches first, and since they move kinda slow, they're usually within inches of the defoliation.
I whap em against the wood pile like a major league pitcher.
I just had my very first seed sprout! I'm so proud! My green pepper, though. I think it's a dud. My basil is just SO dramatic. One hour looks happy and healthy, then overnight looks all sad and droopy. He deserves an academy award.
Nice! That's such a great feeling when you see them first sprout. And then watching that growth from a tiny lil seedling all the way to a big plant that's feeding you, best feeling ever.
Omg tho, my peppers never grow well, year after year, especially when I start from seed. I don't live in the best climate for them but other people seem to grow them just fine.
I started most of my other plants indoors this year though using the light from this small hydroponic herb set-up I got, and they took right off. Like they were at least a foot and a half tall or so before I could even put them in the ground! I'm on the lookout for those hornworms this year though, this thread just inspired me to pick up a UV light for that purpose lol.
I'm going to try to keep all of them indoors/potted. Lots of critters/creepy crawlies here, and I don't trust my dogs. I am, however, looking for raised beds on wheels so if I find a good one I'll use that outside.
I'm glad to know I'm not the only pepper failure here! Still, my tomato sprout is heartening lol I'd just yesterday morning thought, man. I guess I messed up and will need to start over again on both tomato and pepper seeds. I went to go grab the pot to put in morning sunlight and BAM! A tiny sprout!
Yeah, we get a few too many pests around here for my liking too. I also grow entirely in pots too and need to invest in a raised bed eventually as well, because my neighbour has a massive black walnut tree right against the fence bordering our property, which more or less poisons the ground for certain types of plants, especially things like tomatoes and peppers (which I primarily want to grow lol).
Good luck with your tomatoes tho. I hope they grow big and strong and bountiful!
OP, show us a pic of the tomato plants and I bet we can play a game of finding the caterpillars on there. They are certainly right there, and look just like tomato leaves.
Horn worm poop. Actually, it's chewed up and digested tomato leaves. You had better find that caterpillar before it completely eats your tomato plants.
cover the soil around tomatoes covered with grass clippings to keep disease from splashing up from the dirt. and then deal
with the large hornworms as others have explained
Try this free app called Seek to help you identify things in your garden. In this case it might not work well if thatās not something alive, but, for alive things it does a great job. Dw itās made by a not-for-profit entity. No ads, no in app purchases, just fascinating results
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/seek-by-inaturalist/id1353224144
https://preview.redd.it/2wpvkh3lsk6d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=91e1303948fa07c3511076984a7e2e50633e0eb2
and i found these on a leaf! what are they?
Tomato Hornworm poop
[https://www.almanac.com/pest/tomato-hornworms](https://www.almanac.com/pest/tomato-hornworms)
They glow fluorescent when you use a blacklight at night...makes them easy to spot and remove
If I find 1 hornworm is that an indication others are nearby? Found one of these earlier this week napping under the soil near my dillā¦ wondering if should dig around to see if thereās more
You probably have tomato horn worms on your tomatoes. Pick them off and squish them (or feed them to some chickens) so they don't destroy your plants! If you can't spot them, go out and look at night with a black light.
https://preview.redd.it/c4t3iui1jk6d1.jpeg?width=1651&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=44c319d05e9265f2e77f925dd0dc40ac9e4ff043
These also will turn brown, if you find them when they're brown it's probably too late for your tomatoes. š Fresh grenades means a munching caterpillar nearby. Chicken snacks for sure.
They look like small fragmentation grenades, lol.
You can get a cheap UV Blacklight flashlight online, and just walk around your garden when it's dark out. The hornworms will glow pretty vividly in the UV light!
Caterpillar poop. Probably hornworm. They are green caterpillars that eat tomato plants. They can do some damage, try your best to find them and pick them off. Follow the poop!
Anytime I spot caterpillar frass I go out at night with a black light to look for hornworms. They fluoresce under blacklights. I gather them up and offer them to the feathered gods under the bright morning sun. I bought a blacklight headlamp a few years back at a headshop near Lake Okeechobee, that thing has more than paid for itself. I like to put headphones on and listen to the soundtrack from John Carpenter's The Thing while hunting the chunky bastards down.
"Straight to the birdfeeder, mf'er!" I've been lucky in that a yellow garden spider has moved into one of my elephant ears. Shes probably sick of me dropping these green juice bombs into her web because she has to do a lot of reknitting. But I'd like to think that we have a good relationship. I've given her 3 small hornworms, 2 fuzzy webworms, and one speedy garden beetle. (I'm obsessed)
If you love feeding things to things, may i suggest carnivorous plants! they looooove big squishy bugs and it's sooooo satisfying to drop them into the traps!!
My grandma had a Venus flytrap when I was a kid. I would chase flies for hours just to watch that plant devour them. It was fascinating and as I'm writing this, I feel the need to include the "I'm not a psychopath" disclaimer.
Exactly what a psychopath would say
This "clearly not a psycopath" person agrees with you!
https://preview.redd.it/w82puo15fl6d1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d2199d1870c7d516f7660f189a68e728e73eb0f7 I have a Sundew and she is helping with my gnat problem, there's a small VFT in there and a Butterwort too! I just love them so much and enjoy them catching and eating my bugs!
That Sundew plant is very interesting and disgusting at the same time. I want one! š It must be Hell on Earth when it comes time to re-pot it I bet!
It's so grossly satisfying!! I haven't had to repot it yet.... but uhhh... š¬ didn't even cross my mind hahahah
Maaaybe Iāll just hold off buying one until I do some research on how to repot one. Lol! Have a great day! š
Definitely be smarter than me! It can't be worse than repotting my spiney cactus'! I do know they only need long strand spagnium moss, so now i just gotta figure out how to move it without triggering all the traps and killing her š probably long tweezers tbh they help with a lot of these kinds of plants lol
šā°ļø @offered them to the feathered gods under the bright morning sun!
I do this too. Love when the offering is gone in a couple of minutes
Iām definitely going out tonight with a black light. I picked one off my tomatoes the other day. I havenāt SEEN any more, but where thereās oneā¦
If you have neighbors I bet they get a kick out of that.
I have a young family across the road from me who send their kids over to exchange labor for produce throughout the summer. The wee beasties enjoy hunting down garden pests and pulling weeds with my water weeder rig. My partner sometimes sends them back home with pies, pickled goods, and homemade wine. They're good kids, but the youngest one likes to smuggle wildlife home in her pockets. Last year I caught her trying to shove an opossum into her backpack.
Can you blame her? If carry around an opossum if I could
You're makin that up!
Iām 44 and was the same way as a kid. Lol
You shoved opossums into your backpack?
Well yall seem rad as hell!
> They fluoresce under blacklights. TIL. I had some srs hornjerk problems last year, I'll need to try this
Thatās Awesome!
This had me laughing so hard this morning thanks dude
>I gather them up and offer them to the feathered gods under the bright morning sun. A ritual i would pay to watch.
Preach! *nods in respect
These are some kingly vibes.
From caterpillar frass to bird frass.
Planting alyssum can attract parasitic wasps that help control hornworm populations.
Alyssum is also super easy to grow from seed. Just scatter the seeds, cover with soil, and water.
And it reseeds itself constantly!
Which is why some species are considered invasive in parts of the USā¦
Especially coastal California. Itās perennial in zones 9-11. (I looked it up because I love alyssum. I am not worried about growing it in pots here in zone 5, but I wouldnāt put it in the ground in Berkeley.)
Crap. TIL Iām an asshat and am enthusiastically growing an invasive species in its prime habitat. (I got the seed packets from a local center dedicated to urban food and farming of all places too!) The lacy phacelia (native here) is doing a good job at crowding it out at least.
TIL. Zone 3 where I am though.
This is the way
Basil does the same thing if you let it flower. Plus you get basil.
Iāve got 4 different types of basil in my garden. Love to throw it in my lemonade.
Yep, I got basil all around my maters, taters, cukes, eggplant and peppers!
iāve got them! now whoās their friend? w https://preview.redd.it/v7ug2imjsk6d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=024f7d1d0722812aa67dcadacdc0eba2351778fb
Tomato moth! Put a bird bath or a feeder next to your tomato plants and the birds will help.
Note to OP: If you find one with little white things sticking up out of its back, LEAVE IT. Those are the eggs of a parasitic trichonid wasp (harmless to humans). When they hatch they will burrow into the caterpillar and devour it from the inside, then fly off to attack other hornworms.
What kind of carnage is going on in my back garden?! That is horrific!
Nature is ... efficient at utilizing available sources of energy.
Wait till you hear about the fungus that consumes a cicadaās rear end and replaces it with itself then infects more cicadas when the zombiebutt host tries to mate.
Stop!! Omg. š±
Sorry!
[Dials esthetician for appointment to have eyelashes waxed off.]
Small pedantic correction: The white balls you see on the outside are actually the cocoons of the larvae after they emerge from the caterpillar. The eggs themselves are tiny and inserted into the caterpillar. I couldn't find a good video of one emerging, but [here's a picture](https://media.sciencephoto.com/c0/06/58/40/c0065840-800px-wm.jpg) for anyone curious. The wasps are *tiny*.
Thanks, youāre 100% right.
why are their poops so cute? They remind me of dentastix lol
I hate that their moths are so cool. Iāve actually got a cheep sacrificial Walmart tomato plant this year to move any too if I get them again this year.
I love their moths. So I relocate these guys, with a couple branches of my plants that I'm gonna prune anyway.
That was my guess. Didn't know, came here to see if anyone agreed.
I leave them, the wasps keep them in check
I read "find them and sniff them off" Why you do this brain?
There are all sorts of hornworms. Only tomato hornworms eat tomatoes.
At least two species of *Manduca* eat tomatoes. "Tomato hornworm" usually refers to *Manduca quinquemaculata* and "Tobacco hornworm" usually refers to *Manduca sexta*, and both species can be found on both tomato and tobacco plants.
How many hornworm species are there
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manduca
Whoosh. Your gotcha moment was the point of my comment. Thereās over a thousand species, being one off it pedantic as fuck, especially considering you know people mostly get tomato hornworms.
I get the tobacco horn worms and relocate with branches I'm gonna prune anyway. I love the moths.
Hornworms do turn into beautiful moths but they can kill your tomato in the process. Best way to find hornworm is with a black light at night. You can find in day they just blend VERY well
They glow under black light like scorpions?! I did not know this, totally getting one this summer.
https://preview.redd.it/1yqth43clj6d1.jpeg?width=2268&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2f24e2aea9f7e766557469449e36adb166d393d8 found this guy in my garden earlier this week.
Damn, I was hoping they glow green like scorpions
Man I *hate* the way these things look, especially under black light. The moths are gorgeous but something about the caterpillars just makes me physically cringe, haha. Now that I think about it, might be the horror memory of reading the Addy book (American Girl) where she's forced to eat tobacco worms š¤¢
Gardening at the disco.
UV beast is the brand you want 365nm
Love it, will do!
And you won't see the bugger until it's an inch away from your face. Just sayin'.
I usually notice defoliated tomato branches first, and since they move kinda slow, they're usually within inches of the defoliation. I whap em against the wood pile like a major league pitcher.
Oh dear. I was not prepared for gardening to be a blood sport.
Itās a dog eat dog garden out there! Sometimes you gotta fight for your dinner.
Very small hand grenadesā¦.
This is what I thought as a child. Now that I am learning what they really are, I uh.. I need a time machine and about ten gallons of Purell.
You beat me to it.
Look up. Those are caterpillar dookie grenades
Hornworm poop, AKA: forbidden candy
I don't know why I get so blown away when you all know the most (to me) obscure stuff.
Just stay on this sub for a year and youāll see all of these questions asked half a dozen times. Soon you will be an expert, too ;)
I only know this the hard way (had a bunch that murked my tomatoes last year)
I just had my very first seed sprout! I'm so proud! My green pepper, though. I think it's a dud. My basil is just SO dramatic. One hour looks happy and healthy, then overnight looks all sad and droopy. He deserves an academy award.
Nice! That's such a great feeling when you see them first sprout. And then watching that growth from a tiny lil seedling all the way to a big plant that's feeding you, best feeling ever. Omg tho, my peppers never grow well, year after year, especially when I start from seed. I don't live in the best climate for them but other people seem to grow them just fine. I started most of my other plants indoors this year though using the light from this small hydroponic herb set-up I got, and they took right off. Like they were at least a foot and a half tall or so before I could even put them in the ground! I'm on the lookout for those hornworms this year though, this thread just inspired me to pick up a UV light for that purpose lol.
I'm going to try to keep all of them indoors/potted. Lots of critters/creepy crawlies here, and I don't trust my dogs. I am, however, looking for raised beds on wheels so if I find a good one I'll use that outside. I'm glad to know I'm not the only pepper failure here! Still, my tomato sprout is heartening lol I'd just yesterday morning thought, man. I guess I messed up and will need to start over again on both tomato and pepper seeds. I went to go grab the pot to put in morning sunlight and BAM! A tiny sprout!
Yeah, we get a few too many pests around here for my liking too. I also grow entirely in pots too and need to invest in a raised bed eventually as well, because my neighbour has a massive black walnut tree right against the fence bordering our property, which more or less poisons the ground for certain types of plants, especially things like tomatoes and peppers (which I primarily want to grow lol). Good luck with your tomatoes tho. I hope they grow big and strong and bountiful!
Thank you, and you too!
Caterpillar frass of some kind.
Donāt Hornworms turn into beautiful moths??
They better not live that long in my garden
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manduca\_quinquemaculata](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manduca_quinquemaculata) Hawk Moth
Watch it happen: https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/109/2020/06/pooping-sphinx-aligned-cr.gif
https://preview.redd.it/9fvoghelcn6d1.jpeg?width=2472&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=707cf2cd9d7248c9886e0ce6990cc9c93e77bd1c
"Look, a meal for my children!" https://preview.redd.it/ufgu62do8p6d1.jpeg?width=1279&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=25602853303b06c9dff0edc7329429f8bacb32b9
OP, show us a pic of the tomato plants and I bet we can play a game of finding the caterpillars on there. They are certainly right there, and look just like tomato leaves.
They can post the pic on r/findthesniper
Horn worm poop. Actually, it's chewed up and digested tomato leaves. You had better find that caterpillar before it completely eats your tomato plants.
Hornworm poop!
cover the soil around tomatoes covered with grass clippings to keep disease from splashing up from the dirt. and then deal with the large hornworms as others have explained
TIL caterpillars poop little green corn on the cobs
Try this free app called Seek to help you identify things in your garden. In this case it might not work well if thatās not something alive, but, for alive things it does a great job. Dw itās made by a not-for-profit entity. No ads, no in app purchases, just fascinating results https://apps.apple.com/us/app/seek-by-inaturalist/id1353224144
Grenades!! Run!!
Horn worm poo
Organic units, might want to put them in a large storage container to make carbon! Seriously though, looks exactly the same
Hah glad I'm not the only one!
https://preview.redd.it/2wpvkh3lsk6d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=91e1303948fa07c3511076984a7e2e50633e0eb2 and i found these on a leaf! what are they?
Shit!
Pillar poo
Tomato Hornworm poop [https://www.almanac.com/pest/tomato-hornworms](https://www.almanac.com/pest/tomato-hornworms) They glow fluorescent when you use a blacklight at night...makes them easy to spot and remove
Turtles
If I find 1 hornworm is that an indication others are nearby? Found one of these earlier this week napping under the soil near my dillā¦ wondering if should dig around to see if thereās more
Youāre being invaded by Miniature armadillos. Their shells can stop small pistol calibers, youāre going to need a rocket launcher
Squirrel hand grenades
Aliens. The Grinch children
You probably have tomato horn worms on your tomatoes. Pick them off and squish them (or feed them to some chickens) so they don't destroy your plants! If you can't spot them, go out and look at night with a black light. https://preview.redd.it/c4t3iui1jk6d1.jpeg?width=1651&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=44c319d05e9265f2e77f925dd0dc40ac9e4ff043
If you are quiet you can actually hear them chomping
i heard them when i picked them off! crazy lol
Seems like poop of caterpilar
The circle of life
The remains of your garden
hand grenades for ants
r/thingsforants
These also will turn brown, if you find them when they're brown it's probably too late for your tomatoes. š Fresh grenades means a munching caterpillar nearby. Chicken snacks for sure.
They look like small fragmentation grenades, lol. You can get a cheap UV Blacklight flashlight online, and just walk around your garden when it's dark out. The hornworms will glow pretty vividly in the UV light!
Hornworm grenades
I learned a new word āfrassā today. Thanks!
We seem to love other words for poop, donāt we? Hornworm Frass, Worm Castings, Bat Guano, Cow Manureā¦.
I came here to make a grenade joke and am delighted by how many people beat me to it š
Get the hornworms off your tomato plants!
They are on your tomatoes eating right now. Same color as the plant, the size of your pinky finger.
they look like little grenades lol
I had a purple caterpillar in a purple plant had purple teeny poops
Looks like little hand grenades
Mini grenades
Caterpillar poopie
Caterpillar grenades
Baby hand grenades š„ŗ
I thought they were furn leaves unfurling bc I have them in my garden.
Caterpillar poops
Fern fronds?
Okay but why is caterpiller poop so darn cute
Fern fronds
Teeny tiny turtles
Organic Hand grenades https://preview.redd.it/ye5zf8ocvo6d1.jpeg?width=1463&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0f3c7f436e587cd149e7ae9cfab3be306850ccd1
Mini grenades
šš©
Pods to take us over. Or itās just dookie
Those hornworms can completely decimate a tomato or pepper plant overnight. Consider spraying the plants with BT.
Little turtles
grenades
Nature.
Poopies from worms eating you maters. BT them.
Hand grenades
mini grenades
Caterpillar grenades
Taste it and find out