In article mHe3b.217301$Oz4.57751@rwcrnsc54, "Stephen Younge"
writes:

1. What are these things? Where did they come from? I planted the tomatoes
in pots with store-bought potting mix. Did they arrive by air?


Well the" What are these things" has been answered,
but "Did they arrive by air" hasn't, so ........
Yes, you are correct, they did arrive by air!
The tomato hornworm is the larva of the tomato Sphinx moth
She flies in and lays her eggs on your tomato plants and the
eggs hatch into tiny caterpillars/larvae. These grow Rapidly
into Hornworms. They willl eventually crawl into the ground
below and form a very large pupa which will become another
moth, etc. There are usually two generations a year.

Here in Northern Calif, the scrub jays love to eat them. I have
seen evidence of the caterpillar's presence, but the jays remove
them before I do.

The scientific name is Manduca sexta.

Emilie
NorCal