Is this caterpillar poop?

[LazerFlash]

When I first started seeing this stuff, I thought that it was from a spider or two. (There wasn't very much of it, and I had seen a couple of small webs near the top of the cage.) The mess that's on the deck now is actually two days' accumulation, since I didn't sweep it away last night. A quick search using Bing leads me to believe that this is caterpillar poop... But, I haven't seen anywhere near the damage that this much poop would seem to indicate -AND- I have yet to find a single live (or dead) caterpillar on the plants.

Any ideas?

[Willis]

From google images, tomato hornworm frass (turds)

Looks mighty similar, LZ

[LazerFlash]

From google images, tomato hornworm frass (turds)

Looks mighty similar, LZ

It sure does; I saw those images, too. I think the stuff from hornworms is bigger, since they're pretty good-sized caterpillars. What I don't get is, how come I haven't found lots of obvious damage or any actual caterpillars?

[c_and_j]

small toads?

[rooneymom]

The caterpillers start out small before they get big like in all the pics you see. With their green coloring they blend in real well with the tomato plants. Keep an eye out for chewed leaves and look in that area. Sometimes I have trouble even seeing the big ones especially when the plants are really bushy.

[LazerFlash]

I found not one... not two... but three tomato hornworm caterpillars on my plants. Interestingly enough, they were all fairly good-sized, but not the biggest I've ever found. Also, unfortunately, none of then had any of those distinctive wasp eggs attached to their backs.

There wasn't really a lot of visible damage. Of course, it's entirely possible that they've just been eating succulent little tomato plant leaves down to nubs, leaving nothing of note behind - except a lot of poop on the deck!

[kkrapf]

Awwwww. I love tomato hornworms! I thought they were the coolest when I was a kid. I'm actually kind of bummed I haven't seen any on our tomatoes.

[Tony]

... except a lot of poop on the deck!

Is that the origin of the term "poop deck"?

[rooneymom]

They turn into 5 spotted hawkmoths. This one was visiting our 4 o'clocks last summer.

P1020864c.jpg

[MoeMoe]

LF< great photos

[LazerFlash]

They turn into 5 spotted hawkmoths.

Oh, wow... Too bad that such a destructive juvenile results into such an cool-looking adult! I have seen those around here over the years. Now I know that I can't let them live -- if I want my tomato plants unmolested, anyway.

[rooneymom]

I know, its a tough call. I've currently got some monarch caterpillars defoliating my butterflyweed. Beautiful butterflies on one hand, but destroying my plant on the other. If we had some milkweed nearby I'd move them there.

[LazerFlash]

I know, its a tough call.

Not that tough... If it's the difference between completely defoliated tomato plants and cool-looking moths - which we hardly ever see, anyway - there's no choice.

I did let one live that I found yesterday - after relocating it FAR away from my tomatoes. Why? It had a bunch of those predatory wasp eggs attached to its back!

[spatulagirl]

If the wasps are already attached to its back, leave it in the garden. It doesn't have long to live and the wasps will take care of other pests.

[sidhe]

The chickens love the caterpillers....... but then again, chickens love about anything. I had six big caterpillars on my tomatos last week, first time I've seen that many, usually the birds find them before I do. Before I had chickens, I tossed the caterpillars up on the roof, the birds were sure to find them there.