Circle of Life

Those of you who know Craig and I should be aware that we tend to get excited about science type stuff. We have passed that on to Kaylee who is very excited about taking science class this year in school. We had the opportunity to watch something in our garden this week that we found very interesting. Over the summer we have had some trouble with the Tomato Horn Worm. This is something that comes up out of the ground and then eats on your tomato plants and gets nice a big and then goes back into the ground to turn into a moth. They are the exact same color of green as the tomato stalks and it is very hard to see them. We usually don't find them until they are really big. So I was picking tomatoes the other day and I noticed some brown droppings on one of the tomatoes, so I started looking around for the Horn Worm. I found him sitting nearby, but I didn't have my tools to cut off the branch and get rid of him, so I decided I would come back later. So several hours later I go out to get rid of the Horn Worm but I can't find him. I am looking all over and then I spy him, but he is sitting really funny, not on a branch like normal. Then I notice that something beat me to him. There was a Praying Mantis holding on to the Horn Worm. He had already cut the worm in two and was eating him. I know it's kind of gross, but it really is the circle of life and we don't want the Horn Worms eating the tomatoes. Because we are fascinated by this kind of thing, we took a few photos. Look at them at your own risk. :) The Praying Mantis is the same color of green as the tomato plant also, so you will have to look close to see everything.

Enjoy your science lesson for today!