big fatty nasty.

I was out back this morning trying to figure out what I can use to stake up our tomato plants that have become too heavy for their cages.  I noticed what looked like bird poop on the leaves of one plant and lo and behold…I found this GIANT caterpillar on the plant.  For real…it’s the biggest caterpillar I have ever seen.  Ever.

I snapped a pic of our caterpillar with my iPod, and it’s on facebook, but I did find some other photos online.  Here is what it looks like:

I guess wasps use this caterpillar to lay their eggs in, and if that happens, the caterpillar will eventually die.  It doesn’t make a regular cocoon, but rather burrows into the ground for the winter to pupate…gag.  The it turns into this:

Ick.

I saved him in a container so Doug and the kids can see it, but after they check him out…he’s dead.  I don’t even think I will feed him to the chickens just in case he is wasp egg infested. 

Now my skin is crawling.

blech.