Hornworms on Lantana

kbmbillups1
kbmbillups1 Posts: 1,275 ✭✭✭✭✭
in Pest & Weed Problems/Solutions

I've only ever found hornworms on my tomato plants but yesterday I was pruning one of my lantana bushes and found hornworms on it. Has anyone ever found hornworms on something other than tomatoes?

I'm glad they were on my lantana and not my tomatoes which are on my front porch not too far from where they were munching!!

PXL_20211023_180013701.PORTRAIT.jpg
PXL_20211023_180224051.PORTRAIT.jpg


Tagged:
· Share on Twitter

Comments

  • shllnzl
    shllnzl Posts: 1,810 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I have found cabbage worms eating thorny leaves on landscape plants, so I can relate.

    Mama moth got desperate and laid her eggs where she could. Makes me wonder though, if the moths avoid human habitation so it didn't get close enough to see the tomatoes on your porch.

    My lantana looks okay, but I may get curious enough to inspect them anyway.

    · Share on Twitter
  • kbmbillups1
    kbmbillups1 Posts: 1,275 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @shllnzl It just seems strange! I have another huge lantana that seemed to be kissed with frost a couple weeks ago even though not only have we not had any frost we've not even had any cold weather yet. I was thinking tonight I need to look closer at that one. Hornworms wouldn't have caused that but who knows what I might find. These are some crazy times we're living in!

    · Share on Twitter
  • shllnzl
    shllnzl Posts: 1,810 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I have been trying to visualize what would cause injury similar to frost damage -- weed killer might cause similar damage. Is there any possibility of a neighbor's spray getting close enough to damage your plant? Maybe a dog peeing in the same spot every day?

    We are truly living in crazy times: I am depending on the natural world to remind me of what is normal.

    · Share on Twitter
  • kbmbillups1
    kbmbillups1 Posts: 1,275 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @shllnzl I was thinking about that as well. We cannot have any weeds in our front yards because of the HOA. Our service uses granules most times but I don't know about my neighbor since they just moved in. The guy on the other side of them said his lantana facing the new neighbors did the same thing so it could be something was sprayed in the yard in between us.

    · Share on Twitter
  • VermontCathy
    VermontCathy Posts: 1,827 ✭✭✭✭✭

    What do tomato hornworms use as a host plant in the wild? It's not likely to be tomatoes.

    I'm guessing that they can survive on some plants common in the temperate zone, even if they prefer tomatoes when they can find them.

    Fortunately they are slow moving and easy to hand pick.

    · Share on Twitter

This Week's Leaders


Categories