That thing is a hornworm caterpillar. They love members of the nightshade family like tomatoes, potatoes, and tobacco.
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I would consider growing nightshades just to have some happy caterpillars in my backyard. Moths are butterflies are cool
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These ones actually grow up into some fairly large and I think lovely hawkmoths, which can be important pollinators. 
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I was mostly kidding about the caterpillar. However, I did shriek in surprise when I first saw it. And it looked just like a character out of Alice In Wonderland.
I think we would happily host the little buggers, but are more focused on us getting to eat the produce. Maybe next season.
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I would be bummed if bugs were having a buffet on my veggies, but i suppose it’s always an opportunity to see if there’s a native plant that could entice these bugs so that they go over to those instead of your veggies.
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They eat those too
To be fair, I’m sure it was the rats and squirrels doing the most damage to the tomatoes. The squirrels are generally focused on the orange trees.
I’ll upload picture of the backyard sometime. For urban LA, it is very pleasing. Likely put in ~1960. But these plants were up against the house, so the tomato eaters have to go there specifically.
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hornworms are not friends to the garden! we had them one year, a while back, and learned to companion plant with our nightshades. here is a start, we planted marigolds and borage:
borage flowers are very pretty and tasty in a fresh green salad, with a subtle cucumber flavor. borage is also very bee- friendly, so if you think the hawkmoth is a pollenator ( edit: they are not! if you want to share your crop) the addition of bee-friendly, hornworm aggressive borage flowers are a good thing and really helped with our peppers and eggplants.
eta: we shoild continue this discussion on the
gardening thread.
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Where do you get that they aren’t? There’s a whole suite of flowers adapted for hawkmoth pollination – usually open at dusk or night, pale with a sweet odor, and with hard to reach nectar. Datura for instance, whose pollinators include both tomato and tobacco hornworms.
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i suppose i would rather the bees and borage than watch my peppers destroyed.
my bad. they can pollinate Datura and tobacco far away from my garden!
comment amended with tis new information.
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My sourdough starter is happy that I am baking again. Kiddo’s preferred teachers received sourdough loaves as end of year gifts.
(Scoring technique still needs work)
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Wow! They do look alike.
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Yes. I think there are two verities in California.
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Nice!
I’m the only one who will eat collard greens if I make them*, but I love them.
Potatoes look great. I’ve only done hasselback once, and this is inspiring.
eta: *my wife would eat greens, she objects to me cooking them so long, or at all.
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I haven’t had that dinner in faàaar too long. It was delicious. As for hasselbacks: Put a slice of garlic in each cut in the potato for extra tastiness.
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Apropos of nothing: if anyone wants to start an opinionated food blog and needs a title:
“Hill of beans to die on”
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Last night I hipped a friend to the wonders and joy of making cream sauce with itty bitty bits of crumbled bread (not crust). When they’re too big, you’ll quickly find you’re wasting your time.
He tried it tonight, with half and half, a little butter, and a few spices, and it was perfect.
It’s always been creamier and thicker than when I’ve used flour or corn starch, and it was the same for him. Best part is it’s so ridiculously easy - just slowly add the crumbled bits as you gently stir, et voilà! A godly sauce happens.
He said he dislikes that “there’s a grittiness to [a] plain flour roux,” and I gleefully assured him bread crumbles don’t do that.
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And @DukeTrout.
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What about Century eggs? Balut?
Granted I would try these given the chance but they’re certainly challenging to the unfamiliar
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