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I had several of these a year ago or so - giant caterpillars defoliating my little apple tree.  At first I thought they were tomato hormworms, but I looked them up in my trusty bug guide, and indeed, they were sphinx, just as Lon says.  I treated them like tomato hornworms, though. (e.g., hand picked them off the plant.  big suckers, but they can be hard to see hiding under the leaves.)  I've also had large swallowtail caterpillars on the apples.

Ginda

On May 7, 2004, at 3:38 PM, Lon J. Rombough wrote:

> The Achemon sphinx moth has a caterpillar that looks very much like the tomato hornworm, but it feeds on non-solanaceous plants.  In California it is often found on grapes.  You might have that or another sphinx moth species, but the true tomato hornworm only feeds on solanaceous plants.
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> I just found what appears to be a tomato hornworm on my apples.  It
>  seems to be feasting on my very small nickel-sized apples - it eats them
>  about half-way, and then moves on.
>
>  Has anyone ever seen this?  It's a first for me - I thought they just
>  did solanaceae.
>
>  Thanks,
>
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