TOMATO HORNWORM - Manduca quinquemaculata or TOBACCO HORNWORM - Manduca sexta

So much talk as of late about the Tomato Hornworm -  Manduca quinquemaculata is a common garden pest that likes to feed on plants in the Solanaceae family (nightshade).  Other than tomatoes, they also like to eat peppers, eggplant, and potato.  The adult version of the hookworm is the sphynx or hawk moth and they are only active from dusk until dawn.  They are found from northern Mexico to the southernmost region of Canada and are uncommon in the Southeast and are replaced by the tobacco hornworm in this region.

In Florida and elsewhere in the South, Hornworm damage to tomato crops can be attributed to the TOBACCO HORNWORM - Manduca sexta  rather than the tomato hornworm, despite its common name.  The adult version is frequently called the hummingbird moth or hawk moth like the Tomato Hornworm.  Although they are very similar, they are different.