Unexpected Surprises

We had a health surprise last week.  I won't go into the personal details, but I have gained a new perspective about healthy eating, health care, and health management.  "You are what you eat". 

While dealing with health care this week, I neglected my garden for two days.  Yup, just two days.  While I was absent I had a new SQUATTER  move into the garden. In a two day period of time, he ate the whole top off an heirloom tomato plant.  Sheesh, I have lived here more than 20 years and have never seen a Tomato Horn Worm. This year I have a whole family.   I can't help but wonder where they have been hiding, since I have just barely found them devouring my plants. 

I did a little research and found that the giant Hawk Moth, lays its eggs in the soil and they emerge in the spring as caterpillars.  I am not sure what they have been eating, but I do have a fairly large potato patch. Maybe they hung out their until they noticed I wasn't around for two days straight, then it was tomato plant buffet.

Here is the Daddy Horn Worm.  He sports a beautiful blue iridescent coat.  Isn't he beautiful. He is about 4 inches long.

Here is the Family:  Dad, Mom and the Twins  (three cousins showed up the next day and didn't get their family picture).  Of course this is just a wild guess.  It could be possible that they are all brothers and sisters and the big one is exceptionally hungry and works out a lot to be bigger than its siblings. 

I could not squash the worms, after all they are pretty juicy.   I couldn't put them down the disposal either.  So I did what any bad pet owner would do:  I took them for a ride!   I suppose they will probably starve if they don't have tomatoes to eat, but I just couldn't do them in.  Sorry little guys!