Hobbies And Interests
Solanaceae Plants
Tobacco plants are the preferred food of tobacco hornworms. They are unaffected by the nicotine in the plants. They also eat other plants in the Solanaceae family, such as tomato plants, potatoes and peppers. Tobacco hornworms usually eat the higher parts of the plants first. They will eat the leaves, blossoms and fruit. It is common for them to feed on the exposed parts of the plant at night and the underneath portions during the day.
Larva to Moth
When a tobacco hornworm is ready to transform from a larva to a moth, or pupate, it will burrow underground. The burrow is 4 to 6 inches underground. The hornworm forms a brown or reddish brown pupa. It is longer at one end to accommodate the change from the mouth of a larva to the feeding tube of a moth. The moth that emerges from the pupa is brown or gray with orange-yellow spots on the abdomen. The top set of wings is larger than the bottom set of wings.
Nectar
The diet of the hormworm changes when it becomes a moth. It no longer eats leaves and plants. Instead, it uses its feeding tube to drink the nectar from flowers. They are large, with a wingspan that can be up to 5 inches. They are sometimes mistaken for hummingbirds because they move their wings in the same rapid fashion as hummingbirds, they drink from some of the same flowers and they are similar in size.
Indoor Hornworms
Scientists study tobacco hormworms under controlled settings. Some people either catch them in the wild or order them from a specialty store because they want to watch the metamorphosis process. In either case, tobacco hornworms should not be released into the wild as they are considered to be a pest. These hornworms are usually fed tobacco or tomato plants. They can be fed artificial diets as well.