Last week’s nature note was about two sphinx moths that fly and feed during the daytime. Fall is a good time to find the caterpillars of sphinx moths. The two that are described today are the tersa ...

I saw my first hummingbird moth at our new house this month, enjoying nectar from petunias on the patio. If you’ve never seen a hummingbird moth before, it looks like a small hummingbird, with the ...

Tobacco hornworms are a major plant pest across the United States. They are also masters of disguise. The Mississippi State University Extension Service has demonstrated this in a game of ...

If you grow tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, or other nightshades, there’s a good chance that you’ve encountered large green caterpillars feeding on your plants. Known as the tobacco or tomato hornworm, ...

Ovipositing insects use odor cues to select suitable food substrates for their offspring in order to increase the survival rates of the larvae. Scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Chemical ...

As it gets towards the end of the summer growing season, you tend to be a bit less observant in the garden. Then one day you look out and your tomato or pepper plant is half gone. Look closely and you ...

Summer in the Mojave Desert isn't a time when locals do a lot of walking around during the day, but some organisms are remarkably active in the heat — particularly in our gardens. Not surprisingly, ...