Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Guess Who Came to Dinner?

In a recent post titled 'Baby Love' I wrote about how much my grandsons enjoy the book 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar' by Eric Carle. In that book there is a cute little caterpillar that eats his way through a variety of foods as he prepares to turn into a beautiful butterfly. Cute little book which I have always enjoyed reading. Until now. Until a very hungry caterpillar, or two or three or more, ate their way through my tomato plants. Here are how my tomato plants looked at the beginning of August. I could taste the salsa. I could smell the spaghetti sauce.



And then....the caterpillars arrived. They are officially called Tomato Horn Worms. I have my own special nickname for them which I will just keep to myself.


If I wasn't so mad at them I could write about their great color and markings and how this one almost looks rather cute hanging upside down as he enjoys MY tomato.






Guess I will be buying Ragu spaghetti sauce this winter but for now I will enjoy the colors and shapes of the tomatoes I saved from the jaws of the very hungry caterpillars.









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19 comments:

  1. Mike GolchSeptember 9, 2009 at 12:05 AM

    yuck,glad that you were able to save the tomatoes.

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  2. ♥ BrajaSeptember 9, 2009 at 12:15 AM

    Oh I LOVE the tomato shots....love them....:)

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  3. Maggie MaySeptember 9, 2009 at 2:20 AM

    That book about the hungry caterpillar is a firm favourite & is read in all nursery schools as well as at home.

    However........that caterpillar in your garden is a whoppa!
    We don't get these over here, thankfully! Though they have smaller cousins!
    Glad you managed to get a few tomatoes into the house before the assault. They make a lovely photo on the windowsill, especially next to the fancy bottle.

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  4. Brian MillerSeptember 9, 2009 at 7:01 AM

    i remember being amazed as a kid the first time i saw one of those. at least you saved a few. hope you have a wonderful day.

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  5. Kim MailhotSeptember 9, 2009 at 7:58 AM

    Ew...I love the caterpillar in the book, but this one is kind of too juicy for me !Gorgeous colors though...
    Not a great year for those tomats, was it ? At least we got to enjoy a taste !

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  6. DarylSeptember 9, 2009 at 10:00 AM

    Oh what a shame, those tomatoes look delish .. and that caterpiller IS sort of pretty .. in a destructive way ... is there some sort of something you can put around them to keep these pests away next summer?

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  7. MargSeptember 9, 2009 at 12:08 PM

    Great Shots. Those awful bugs. We have too much rain now and we fight with Blight. But they sure look beautiful sitting on your window sill.

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  8. JeniSeptember 9, 2009 at 1:03 PM

    My little garden plot is just that -little -and was pretty crowded this, my first year of having a real garden, so I only planted two tomato plants. Space, plus the fact I don't can anything led me to only planting two plants there. And they grew, were doing well! One, in fact had 17 beautiful tomatoes on it one day, the plant being strong and green and beautiful. The very next day it was laying on the ground, dead as dead can be. Leaves all crinkled up, dry, brown and the tomatoes on the vine, still green and hard but with all kinds of ugly brown and black spots all over them! Tomato blight! Overnight! Killed my plants and those of just about everyone around here too! I was so looking forward to having a nice big fresh tomato sandwich with gobs of mayonnaise on my bread! Not this year. Just not meant to be.
    A sad year for gardeners all over the place, isn't it. Consider yourself very fortunate that you got those tomatoes you did rescue from the evil caterpillar.

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  9. SandyCarlsonSeptember 9, 2009 at 4:56 PM

    That's one well-fed caterpillar you have there.

    My folks' tomatoes were doing great until, bam, the blight hit them. Seems like your story, too.

    Ragu is not so bad....

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  10. AnonymousSeptember 9, 2009 at 10:56 PM

    I have never been able to appreciate horn worms, I am so happy we were spared this year!@!

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  11. MarmiteToastySeptember 10, 2009 at 5:04 AM

    you should of whipped that caterpillar off the tomatoes and lobbed him in a stirfry LOL

    that would of learnt him LOL

    x

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  12. MarmiteToastySeptember 10, 2009 at 5:04 AM

    ps....... that book was the first ever book I bought as a new mother and we still have it :)

    x

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  13. AkelamaluSeptember 10, 2009 at 3:32 PM

    AT least you were able to save some tomatoes - enjoy! :)

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  14. david mcmahonSeptember 11, 2009 at 7:24 AM

    Wonderful photographs - yes, I remember the book about the hungry caterpillar ever so well!

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  15. BeverlySeptember 11, 2009 at 1:00 PM

    Grrr! Bad caterpillars. And, not very pretty either.

    But, your saved tomatoes are beautiful.

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  16. imbeingheldhostageSeptember 17, 2009 at 5:37 AM

    Sorry for giggling, my son is a huge Hungry Cat. fan. They are cool looking uninvited guests, too bad you could starve enjoying their markings :-(
    We always had problems with our broccoli. Insects would travel thousands of miles just to ruin our broccoli crop.

    (The tomatoes you saved look very nice!)

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  17. SanSeptember 18, 2009 at 6:10 PM

    Damn. I remember reading that book to my kids. I believe it's still on a shelf somewhere. But damn those hungry caterpillars.

    I feel the same about our gophers who keep devouring our hollyhocks from the roots up, DESPITE underground fences. They find a way. Damn.

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  18. AprilOctober 12, 2009 at 11:29 AM

    Suppose you'll have to post sometime soon, because I left you a little award at my blog.

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  19. pink dogwoodDecember 7, 2009 at 10:46 PM

    Where are you Deb? Hope all is well.

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Leave me some nourishment ~ please.