Respecting the Balance

Respecting the Balance

My wife found this caterpillar on one of the garden paths yesterday and it reminded me of why I do my best not to destroy the nests of hornets, yellow-jackets, wasps, etc. unless they are located in a ‘high-traffic’ area, like under the top of a picnic table around knee level, or beside the back door, I leave them alone. I am rarely stung, though my last encounter, two years ago, with a well-developed nest of bald-faced hornets who had built a sizable nest in a rhododendron I had decided to prune, almost made me change my mind. All in all members of the order Hymenoptera are extremely beneficial as predators against other insects, many of which do considerable damage to our vegetables and ornamental plants . This caterpillar, which I first thought to be the larval stage of the Luna moth, better known as a tomato hornworm (several tomatoes plants are nearby) is on reflection more likely that of Antheraea polyphemus, the Polyphemus moth. [What markings are visible seem wrong, and the shade of green too light.] All our tomato plants proved to be caterpillar free. Or is it perhaps the larva of a five-spotted Hawk moth, Manduca quinquemaculata

Regardless, the hornet(?), left side of the pictures, seems to have things under control.

Postscript

I went out this morning to make a detailed study and found the entire caterpillar gone!