Have you ever seen such a thing? I'll have to
research it and see exactly what kind of caterpillar
this is. Ava confidently stated that it will turn
into a green butterfly.
From Ohio State University Extension Website:
The tobacco hornworm is the larva of the Carolina sphinx moth, Manduca sexta. It has seven diagonal white stripes, and its horn is curved and red. Sometimes you'll see hornworms with little white things on them. The white things are wasp cocoons! Small, parasitic braconid wasps often lay their eggs on hornworms. The wasp larvae eat the hornworm's innards (yuck) then form cocoons when they're done. Eventually they kill the hornworm. This is good for gardeners but not for the hornworm.
