Garden Shots: Revenge of the Wyrm

When the dehumidifier in the basement fills up, I empty it out back in the vegetable garden.  It's my half-assed way of watering the plants semi-regularly.  We're starting to get a decent amount of sun gold cherry tomatoes and I grabbed a few.

Sun Gold cherries and one Early Girl

But upon glancing at the plants, I noticed bare branch, completely stripped of leaves.  And then another.  And another.

Picked clean!

Too late I realized that my old foe had returned.   Not only that, they had recognized my lackadaisical gardening for what it was and gorged themselves on the lovely tomato plants in my absence.

Yes friends, it was the return of the dreaded hornworm!

There were many and they were BIG.   Now normally I don't like killing anything larger than one inch but these beasties leave me no choice.  They will ransack my plants in no time at all.  So I grabbed my killing instrument - my garden scissors.   My method has always been brutal but effective - I cut off their heads.  But the scissors were dull and their heads large - I ended up just cutting gashes in most of 'em.  Still did the trick but extra grisly.

They made a terrible clicking noise after I executed them - no doubt cursing me in their guttural language.

Even now, the morning after, I went out there and found that some of these mortal injuries were anything but.  Despite the massive gashes to their heasd, the wyrms continued to cling to life.

So beware the hornworm, dear reader.  If you see bare branches on your tomato plants, look closely - for hidden amongst the leaves lurks your doom.