Found another tomato hornworm in the garden today… and this one’s not making it to moth life. Those little white things on its back? Not eggs. They’re cocoons—tiny wasps are literally growing inside it.

Here’s what happens (kinda crazy): a parasitic wasp lays eggs under the hornworm’s skin. The baby wasps hatch, feed on its insides (yep), then chew their way out and spin those little cocoons. Eventually, the adult wasps emerge and the caterpillar dies.

Nature’s brutal… but efficient.

Moral of the story: kinda glad I’m not a tomato hornworm.