Little Green Worms

When we got home from our trip to Indiana and Michigan, Cindy discovered that the Kale plants she had put in just before we left were being devoured by a host of little green worms called Cabbage Loopers.

Cabbage Looper

These pests are kind of fun to watch because they move around by inching forward and then creating a big loop with their bodies that allows them to inch forward again.

What's not fun about them is that there were a lot of them and they can chew up a lot of plants in a hurry, preferring members of the Cole family, which includes kales, cabbages, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower and broccoli, which includes most of the crops Cindy had just planted.

Damaged Kale

They can safely be eradicated by spraying them with Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis), but Cindy just picked them off by hand and dropped them into a pail of soapy water, which finished them off.

Apparently they can't swim.