unknown bug Location: Bristol, England August 11, 2011 6:47 pm I was riding my bike the other day through the woods and i suddenly seen this bug on the path, so i moved it off the path onto the grass so it didnt get run over by bike riders. i took a picture of it and shown friends and they didnt know what it was either, we was thinking some kind of caterpillar maybe? id really appreciate your help, as i have been looking to find out what this is for some time now. Signature: Ben Vickers
Privet Hawkmoth Caterpillar
Hi Ben, This is a Privet Hawkmoth Caterpillar. According to the UK Moths website: “The large caterpillar is even more spectacular than the moth, being bright green with lilac and white stripes along the side, and a curved black ‘horn’ at the rear. It feeds on privet (Ligustrum), lilac (Syringa) and ash (Fraxinus).”
Ed. NOte: Because of a comment from David Gracer, we have created a Bug Humanitarian Award tag.
Hawkmoth Caterpillar
Location: Ithaca, NY
August 2, 2011 1:24 pm
Dear Bugman,
I’m not familiar with American species as I’m visiting from Europe. I went for a walk along the Lab of Ornithology’s lake, and while trying to find a robin nest I saw a couple of weeks ago, I discovered this large caterpillar. It was too far away for me to get closer, but according to the picture it has a dark backside. I do love identifying what I see, but I’m a bit overwhelmed with the multitude of species you have here.
Signature: a curious illustrator
Virginia Creeper Sphinx Caterpillar
Dear Curious Illustrator,
Though your caterpillar is partially obscured, we are confident that it is a Virginia Creeper Caterpillar in its brown form. Though green is a more common color, you can see by comparing your photo to this example on BugGuide, that we have identified your caterpillar. The best place to research New World Sphinx Moths and their caterpillars is the Sphingidae of the Americas website.
¶ Posted 03 August 2011 § ‡ ° caterpillar
Location: Cheyenne, Wyoming
August 1, 2011 12:12 pm
Please identify. Many of these healthy looking critters are in our greenhouse munching away on the remaining tomatoes!
Signature: Beth
Tomato Hornworm
Hi Beth,
We only know of two Sphinx Caterpillars, commonly called Hornworms, that feed upon tomato, and they are both green, so we were very surprised to learn that the Tomato Hornworm, Manduca quinquemaculata, also has a dark form. Your individual is considerably darker than the example posted on the Sphingidae of the Americas website, the best place to identify Sphinx Moths in the family Sphingidae. We are going to copy the webmaster at Sphingidae of the Americas, Bill Oehlke, because he may be interested in posting your very dark Tomato Hornworm.
Bill Oehlke responds
Hi Daniel,
The dark form is actually quite common. There are a couple of links on quinquemaculatus file where sources have sent green and dark forms feeding in same location, some of them are very dark.
Thanks for thinking of me. The Laramie County sighting confirms/documents a suspected presence in that county.
Bill Oehlke
Hello Dan,
Thanks for doing the work! I am intrigued! We have not used any pesticide in the greenhouse and only had a limited amount of tomatoes.
Thanks for passing this on – my husband and I are teachers, Paul a middle grades science teacher and I teach second grade so this will start the year with interest for the kids.
With appreciation,
Beth Crips
gardening blog update: August 18, 2011
We allow Tomato Hornworms and Tobacco Hornworms to feed on our tomato plants. There are usually no more than two caterpillars per plant. We love the adult moths, though we have only seen one. The pupa we tried to raise in a terrarium emerged and its wings did not enlarge. It might benefit this species for the female to stay by the food source and attract the male.
3
Any idea what this is?
Location: Sioux City, IA
July 29, 2011 9:51 am
Hi,
Wondering if you have any idea what this caterpillar/worm is?
Thanks!
Signature: Maureen
Four Horned Sphinx
Hi Maureen,
This is a Four Horned Sphinx or Elm Sphinx. We just posted a photo of a Four Horned Sphinx from Michigan that came a day later than your submission, and out of guilt for having so many backlogged identification requests, we are posting your image as well.
Daniel,
Thank you for quick response. I was amazed to find your website as I was trying to find out what that interesting caterpillar was. I have never seen anything like it before. Thanks again!
Maureen
¶ Posted 31 July 2011 § ‡ ° never seen this before
Location: Muskegon, MI
July 30, 2011 5:39 pm
Hi, we found this caterpillar outside our house and i was wondering what it is. I have never seen a caterpillar this large before, it was about 3in. long. sorry i couldn’t get a very good photo of it. i’m excited to find out what it is.
Signature: Thanks, Katherine
Four Horned Sphinx
Hi Katherine,
This is the caterpillar of the Four Horned Sphinx or Elm Sphinx. You can see some nice photos that show the four horns on the head by viewing the Sphingidae of the Americas website. We are amused that the common name Four Horned Sphinx ignores the prominent caudal horn, and perhaps a more fitting name would be Five Horned Sphinx.
¶ Posted 31 July 2011 § ‡ ° Tomato Hornworm- Not shuttlecock!
Location: Housatonic, Massachusetts.
July 29, 2011 3:13 pm
I know you get hundreds of letters, and I apologize for annoying you!
I must admit, I have learned a LOT- and I mean A LOT from your site. I can now recognize insects/arachnids/etc. (Though, I’m still much better with canine breeds).
Funny story with this is, we were outside playing badmitten. My fiance hit the shuttlecock, which landed on the ground, nothing unusual. I went to pick it up, and noticed it landed right next to this handsome guy!
I was a little shocked, as I have never seen this caterpillar more than three times in my life. I was a little wary of the ’stinger’ but I am certain he was harmless. He was heavy and, might I add, looked quite delicious.
I petted him for a while before letting him go!
So, could you guys confirm my suspicions? Thanks again, and keep up the amazing work!
Signature: Terra
Laurel Sphinx Caterpillar
Hi Terra,
Many Sphinx Moth Caterpillars look quite similar, and you need to concentrate on the details to get the identifications correct. We believe we have correctly identified your caterpillar as a Laurel Sphinx, Sphinx kalmiae, thanks to the Sphingidae of the Americas website. The blue caudal horn with black markings is correct, as is the black markings on the head, however, the typically black prolegs appear green in your photo. We will contact Bill Oehlke to get his opinion.
Laurel Sphinx Caterpillar
¶ Posted 30 July 2011 § ‡ ° What in the world is this???
Location: Central Texas
July 13, 2011 3:34 pm
I was uprooting my tomato plants when I saw this in the soil in the container (IE: not from the ground) At first glance, I thought it was just a small pine cone or something…until it MOVED. Thought it might be a ”stinger” on the end, so I didn’t touch it. Is it harmful? Is it some kind of larvae? What in the world is this?
Signature: Craig
Tomato Hornworm Pupa
Dear Craig,
You have unearthed the pupa of a Sphinx Moth in the genus Manduca. There are two species in the genus whose caterpillars feed on the leaves of tomatoes and related plants. Gardeners sometimes call them Tomato Bugs and they are also frequently called Tomato Hornworms because of the prominent caudal horn. The body part that seems to resemble the handle of a jug is the case for the long proboscis, the strawlike sucking mouth of the adult moth which enables it to draw nectar from deep throated flowers like honeysuckle.
Thanks Daniel!
After not having a CLUE what it was on my own investigation, I found your website. Appreciate your expert identification. It’s nice to finally but a name with a face…..or….bug… 
Thanks for your time!
Craig
¶ Posted 14 July 2011 § ‡ ° Unknown Catapiller
Location: Denver, Colorado
July 13, 2011 2:56 pm
Does anyone know what this is? I live in Denver and have never seen anything like it in 65 years. It was about 3 inches long and just appeared in a friends lap while sitting on the porch. He was sitting under some Virginia Creeper on a trellis.
Signature: Mark W in Denver
Achemon Sphinx Caterpillar
Dear Mark,
This is the caterpillar of an Achemon Sphinx. In addition to Virginia Creeper, they feed on the leaves of Grape and a few other vines. The caterpillars of Sphinx Moths are known as Hornworms, however, a few species, including the Achemon Sphinx, lose the horn in an early molt. All that remains of the caudal horn in the Achemon Sphinx Caterpillar is a Caudal Bump that might be mistaken for an eye by a predator. You may read more about the Achemon Sphinx on the excellent Sphingidae of the Americas Website.
Daniel,
Thank you very much!!!! I really appreciate your knowledge and you taking the time to make me smarter!
Mark
¶ Posted 14 July 2011 § ‡ ° 
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