Caterpillar

[Marc St Louis]

I went outside the other day and saw this on the ground.  I've seen Green Caterpillars before but nothing this size.  This thing was fully 1/2" in diameter and at least 3" long when on the move

[sleek]

Luna?

[DC]

I hope you built a fence around it until you find out what it is. I could be the first of some new God-awful bug to invade the country.

[Danzn Bar]

Sleek.....I believe your right...Luna moth

[Marc St Louis]

No I don't think it is the Luna Moth.  I did a search and it looks more like the Banded Sphinx.  Here's another pic

[JoJoDapyro]

Looks like a tomato worm to me! Sphinx moth.

[Eric Krewson]

I thought the deer were eating my tomato plants, I found one of those caterpillars on the plant so I knew it wasn't a deer.

[JacksonCash]

Can confirm, that caterpillar is not a deer.

[sleek]

Bass bait?

[Marc St Louis]

Curious.  I've never seen anything eat Tomatoes up here

[koan]

Yep....tomato eatin machine right there! Hard to see on the plant but they leave unmistakable scat trail, lol.... Brian

[PEARL DRUMS]

They will devour a mater plant in short order. Dad used to walk around the garden with two fist sized rocks. He'd just smash them between the rocks and move along. I loved it when I was 5!

[JoJoDapyro]

They sell them at pet stores as reptile food as well. I didn't know what they turned into until about a year ago. They get quite big.

[caveman2533]

We used to call them tobacco worms as we would find them on the tobacco stalks, when topping the tobacco in the evening dusk lite the moths would come out and fly around made you duck once or twice.  Big moth's, we would dare each other to bite the heads of the caterpillars. Tasted like tobacco.

[Marc St Louis]

To clarify, Slugs will eat Tomatoes but only the fruit, the plant itself is safe.