Wednesday, August 5, 2015

Tomato Hornworm Under Siege Plus a New Collaboration

I found a tomato hornworm chowing down on one of my two tomato plants yesterday.  Usually tomato hornworms blend so seamlessly into the colors and shapes of the tomato plant that they're almost invisible, but this one stood out.  It was half-covered with small white cocoon-like things that looked like  miniature silkworm cocoons.  What the heck----?  The worm was very sluggish and at first I thought it was dead.  Maybe it was in the middle of laying eggs?  I googled tomato hornworms today and learned that the white egg-like things are actually eggs of a brachonid wasp, and the hornworm has been parasitized.  The eggs will turn into larvae, which burrow into the hornworm and feed on the body of the hornworm, eventually killing the worm.

Jacob is leaving Friday for Zurich, and today was our last chance at finishing the collaboration we started last week at the old dam.  We used Jacob's black and white photo of the dam with my drawing of one of the doctor dolls in its box.  I like the sort of adrift feeling in this weird environment.

We had a family send off dinner for him tonight at Wasabi.  I tried very hard not to cry and create a scene but I am incapable of saying goodbye gracefully!

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