I find it almost impossible to believe that you have never seen a hornworm before, lol! They are extremely common. You must have some kind of powerful mojo working for you.

I can't tell for certain if you have the tomato or the tobacco hornworm but the latter is the more common. If it has a little reddish 'horn', that's what you've got. If it has a blackish horn, you're looking at the Tomato Hornworm. I 'think' I can see only 7 stripes, too, which also points to the Tobacco Hornworm.

It's very generous of you to let him be, considering the fact that they can eat an enormous amount of foliage and flesh in a single day. I always grab 'em when I spot one and feed it to the birds who follow me around in the garden.

The moth, a pretty Sphinx moth, can be seen fluttering around your flowers at dusk. They aren't in the habit of laying just ONE egg, so I'd keep a lookout on your tomatoes, I'm just sayin'.

I'm with rhizo_1. I can't imagine going so long without encountering one of these guys.

Even though the picture is small, I'd say it's more likely to be Manduca Sexta (Tobacco Hornworm). I don't think it's a Tomato Hornworm, because I don't see the right-angles to the white lines. But maybe they're there and really faint.

The Tobacco Hornworm is more common in Texas anyway. I'm probably not that much farther away in south Texas, and that's the one I see. Thankfully, I haven't seen one yet this year. I'm keeping a watch and vigil though. They're definitely #1 in my book as to "bad" caterpillars.

I couldn't imagine leaving them alone and letting them live and cause more destruction. Plus, they'll likely create future generations to annoy gardeners and farmers. Please help break the cycle :-) You can feel good in that most other moths and caterpillars can be left alone...

Correction: Didn't mean to say "right-angles". Certainly not 90 degree angles, maybe 70 degree? :-) Ha!

Thank you both for your help. It definitely had a red horn~ funny red is not the tomato & black the tobacco. Either way this is the first in my garden in 16 years of growing tomatoes in central tx. Maybe I had a lot of natural enemies of this guy. He has met his demise so my tomato plants do not meet theirs. Thanks again !!

The moth, a pretty Sphinx moth, can be seen fluttering around your flowers at dusk.

==>>> actually.. its flight pattern is almost hummingbird in style ... and nearly the same size ...

ken

I'd not say the Carolina Sphinx or the Five Spotted Hawkmoth are particularly pretty, kind of a dull brown. Now the Hummingbird Moth could be and is an interesting moth to watch and that one flits around during the day feeding on the nectar of various plants. Its larva, which looks kinfd of similar to the Tomato/Tobacco hornworm, is often mistaken to be those pests but the larva do not feed on tomato/tobacco plants.

Most people would consider the moth as elegant and even striking. I think that most observers are rather taken with the sphinx moths and their horned caterpillars, no matter what species.

The (so called hummingbird moths) are 'clear-wing' sphinx moths...pretty unusual for moths.

Here is a link that might be useful: Tobacco hornworm moth

I've only seen Paw Paw and Walnut Sphinx Moths, but they creep me out for some reason. Maybe it's their large size, or the way they hold their wings out away from their body.

Last year, I encountered what were probably tobacco hornworms, but have yet to see the adults. I'm sure I'll see them this summer, and I have the feeling it will be a weird experience :-)

They're big, heavy moths. Their heads are covered with so much thick 'down' that they look like they're wearing fur bonnets. Very chic!