Hungry Hornworms

Skeletonized by hornworms

If you've ever had any dealings with tomato hornworms, you know they are voracious. Overnight, they can strip all the leaves off a tomato plant. So, you can imagine my dismay when I discovered that they also enjoy tomatillos. Actually, I think they like them better than tomatoes, as shown by the two hornworms noshing on the same plant.

They must really like tomatillos!

Given the hornworm attack on the tomatillos, which were in pots on the front porch, I just knew that my tomatoes had already been skeletonized. To my surprise, they seemed to be hornworm-free, so I sprayed them all down with organic Hi-yield Thuricide.

He should be brown within 24 hours.

While it doesn't kill them immediately, I have had very good results with it. I did hand-pick the hornworms and dispatched them to their eternal reward.

Apparently, tomatillos are accustomed to such attacks as, this morning, I found new growth on the fully-skeletonized plant. And, right next to the new leaves was a bonus: a beneficial praying mantis!

This is what hope looks like!

Both give me hope that, again soon, I'll be seeing blossoms.

What about you? What's growing in your Savory garden?

Nancy

Beneficials are always welcome!

A future tomatillo!

Tilting windmills

My sworn enemy--
the squash bug!

I visited an organic demonstration farm this week and was not surprised, among all the lovely plants and pollinators, to find one of my garden enemies:  the squash bug!