Don't destroy tomato hornworms, unless they are a real problem. read below why!

[bluestarone]

http://texasbutterflyranch.com/2012/06/21/loathed-by-gardeners-tomato-hornworms-morph-into-magnificent-sphinx-moths/

[Botany]

1. I don't touch 'em because I get the braconid wasp eggs (cocoons) on them pdq

[bluestarone]

2. yuck never seen that!!

We enjoy watching the humming bird moth fly from flower to flower! Early evening, early morning!!

[tosh]

3. Lucky you!

I have to go into my garden at night with my magic flashlight and bucket of soapy water.

How do you attract and host the wasps?

[Botany]

4. plant native plants and let a hornworm stick around for a little bit.

BTW the sphinx mouth is cool too.

[tosh]

7. I am not so new to gardening, but quite new

to gardening in the wild so I have a lot to learn!

First year out here, was away for a few days and returned to find my tomato plants completely defoliated! So last year I used the magic light every other night and must have "disposed of" 120-150 hornworms from my 8 plants over the growing season.

I just discovered, via today's Gardenista email, that hornworms are also attracted to Dill. I'm going to try planting some dill on the perimeter of my veg. garden and see what happens.

I'm thinking that the braconid wasps will kill other caterpillars, too?? So maybe I don't really want to attract them...

And yes, I have seen the sphinx moth and she is really beautiful!

[Botany]

8. Get Doug Tallamy's bringing nature home and the Xerces Society Attracking Native Pollinators

The Braconid wasp is kind of specific about where she lays her eggs ..... And yes planting some
dill and hand carrying the horn worms to the plant might be a good idea.

any other questions let me know .... I'm kind of an expert on this stuff.

[tosh]

9. Thanks!

I have Tallamy's The Living Landscape and a couple of others that I've been reading this winter, but I'll try to get these too.

We have a landscape plan for "the yard" around the house that is totally native. But we are letting a pro do this while we work on turning the smaller of our two fields into a meadow/"wild" orchard so I've been studying native grasses and wildflowers for the Coastal Plain.

It'll be great to have an advisor with some real experise!

[Botany]

10. Possum Haw viburnum ...... plant 2 .... you'll get more fruit

smooth sumac, new england aster, & red milkweed for damper areas.

[femmocrat]

5. I break off the branch of the tomato plant and toss the entire thing into the hedgerow.

After that, they are on their own. LOL

[Bayard]

11. I do the same

Except my branch goes to the chickens. Yum!

[bluestarone]

6. watch one on youtube here

[Bayard]

12. I have seen these in the flowers

Had no idea they had morphed from those pesky marshmallow caterpillars on my tomato's.