This was the first year I paid a lot of attention to my backyard garden. There

were only a few pots of herbs and vegetables but they had provided daily a 

healthy distraction from my desk-bound routines.

The heirloom tomato seeds saved from last year and buried in the pots early Feb

quickly broke out and turned into saplings. The soil was rich and although I

used no fertilizers, the plants grew tall and strong. By May they bore two 

dozens of fruits a few of which measured over one pound each. Ripe and sweet,

they were delicious in my pasta sauce and my bean dish. The first round of

harvest was so good that I gave a box of tomatoes to my neighbor.

Early last week, a few tiny dark green pellets showed up under the tomato shades

and I first suspected birds. Over the next few days, more pellets appeared and I

never spotted any intruder. I realized that they could be from worms but

couldn't imagine what the culprit looked like. I was worried.

Friday morning, as I was watering the tomatoes, it occurred to me that the

margins curled up and inward on most older leaves as if they tried to get less

sunshine.

Meanwhile, a branch started to shake at the top and I saw it! A plump horn worm

the size of my thumb with its fleshy body laid along a bough was busy chomping

on the shoots. There was no way I would have noticed had it not been feasting as

it had the perfect camouflage. It sported exactly the same color as the

underside of the leaves and its log-shaped body resembled another curled-up

leaf.

With this discovery, it was easier to sight the enemies. Soon, five big-bellyed

thieves were caught in the act. Once on the ground, they wiggled a bit and then

played dead. I shoveled them into a plastic pail used as a dustbin. The villians

had done heavy damage and I'd like to see how they would look like after a

two-day fast in the jail. 

Saturday night, I came back late. I opened the door to the patio, turned on the

light, and was shocked at what I saw. Not only had the worms scaled the bucket,

they were heading directly back to the tomato plants 10 feet away! How did they

get the direction? On the red cement bricks, they sailed like a fleet of four

green ships full steam ahead. It was by luck I caught them in the middle.

But one was still missing and it was only after two more days that I started to

see worm poo on the ground again and finally re-captured it. It was the first one 

that had made it to the tomatoes, climbed up the wine barrel planter, and

returned to its feedlot. What a feat!