The Tomato Hornworm

When I first moved to Florida from the north, I planted tomatoes in pots in the yard.  I was successful until one day I went to check on the tomatoes and the plants were bare!  I looked at each plant closely and discovered 3-inch green caterpillars with black horns had invaded my plants.  My husband and I picked them off the plants and flung them out of our yard.  Now, I was told that any insect that causes damage to your plants is considered a pest.  So all this time I’ve been doing my best to keep them from attacking my plants.

Photo Credit: Whitney Cranshaw, Colorado State University, Bugwood.org

The tomato hornworm, Manduca quinquemaculata, is a caterpillar that eventually becomes a hawk moth.  It is nocturnal and pollinates night-blooming flowers while feeding.  These moths are sometimes mistaken for a hummingbird due to their fast-flying maneuvers, body shape, and

size. 

The Smithsonian Museum of Natural History holds up to ½ the world’s species of hawk moths, which are important pollinators (Smithsonian).  These moths are known for their ability to travel great distances, up to 18 miles.  Its long proboscis drinks from the flower and picks up pollen.

Per the Smithsonian, these moths pollinate native plants in the world and save the habitats

Photo Credit: Jim Occi, BugPics, Bugwood.org

in which these native plants are vital.  Dr. Robert Robbins, the Smithsonian’s curator of Lepidoptera, states that the hawk moth favors the long flowers’ nectar, thereby increasing the chance of successful pollination.

Many plants that the hawk moths feed on are endangered due to deforestation and tourism.  One such plant is the Puerto Rican chumbo cactus.  It relies on the hawk moth pollination for its survivability. (US Fish and

Wildlife Service, Jan P Zegarra).  Per Dr. Gordon Smith, an entomologist at the University of California, Riverside, “If the moths continue to focus on certain plants, they can actually maintain connections between these very fragmented populations.”

So now I am rethinking the caterpillar dilemma, and the next time one is lunching on my plants, I will purchase another for the continuation of the life cycle of the moth.

References:

UF/IFAS publication #EENY700 4/4/18. https://ask.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/IN1206

Eisenstadt, A. (2020, June 22). Why hawk moths are the underdogs of the pollinator world. Smithsonian Magazine.