After hatching from tiny eggs on the underside of leaves, the green caterpillars, decorated with diagonal white lines, go through the typical five moth stages of growth, called instars. The caterpillars exhibit some pretty special behaviors, too. “They’re very impressive and long-lived, and they almost give off the impression of being mammal-like – fluffy and hairy with large eyes that reflect red in the light,” said Jaffe. According to Sam Jaffe, founder of The Caterpillar Lab in Keene, New Hampshire, Carolina sphinx moths have the longest proboscis of any insect in New England, which allow them to probe the deepest flowers. These large-bodied moths have five-inch, coffee-colored wings that enable them to hover over flowers like hummingbirds.

They also have voracious appetites and a preference for consuming our tomato, potato, eggplant and pepper plants.ĭespite their alien appearance, tobacco hornworms are native insects that contribute to local food chains and eventually transform into beautiful Carolina sphinx moths. In part it’s because they are among the largest caterpillars in the region, sometimes reaching close to three inches in length, with reddish horns on their ends that look like stingers (but aren’t). The big, meaty green caterpillars that many of us have been fighting to eradicate from our gardens this summer make plenty of people squirm.

Download goliath worms