Thank you all for the comments. I had the squash on my counter so i could take it with me to the garden center to get help there but i won't have time until the weekend so i threw it out w/trash .... It was pretty big (10 inches ) i tried to take good pictures - it looked like something with sharp fangs or claws. - maybe one critter started eating and another came behind to get their dinner!? I did put out some snap traps a couple weeks ago - inside a milk carton so birds and friendly creatures wouldn't get hurt - and both traps were tripped by morning with no critters but the apples were gone..... That method didn't seem to work well for me and i just don't want to hurt the wrong ones. Thanks again for all the helpful suggestions! I will try the netting over new growth as recommended- THANK YOU!

Gamebird, Everyone I know who gardens here in our part of the state has problems with raccoons, deer, coyotes, possums, rabbits, etc. and the best solution is a fence. Some people have success with those motion-activated sprinklers, and some don't. I believe you can find one for about $50 although they sell for higher prices on some websites. One of my neighbors keeps critters away by playing a radio set to talk radio (music doesn't work) all night long. The radio is in a large zip-lock bag to keep moisture off of it, and is plugged in using one of those big orange heavy duty extension cords. It keeps deer away from his apple trees but not from his okra. I don't know if it keeps coyotes away from his melons. I second Christopher's recommendation of an electric fence...and you have to have wires low enough that nothing can lay down and scoot or crawl under it, and high enough that the deer can't jump over it. The only other option is a tall enough fence that deer and coyotes can't jump it. A 7' tall fence works for us, but I would feel better if it was 9' tall cause we have some really large deer. Nothing we've done keeps the raccoons away because they climb over or under or dig under or something. When we enlarge the garden this winter, the 'new' section of garden space will have electric fencing. Once critters (and that includes human, animal, bird and insect) find your garden, it becomes an elaborate 'game' with you trying to outwit them and them trying to outwit you. It is not a fun game either. Dawn

Grasshoppers? I am having a hard time with them this year.

Wow, I never thought about a plant cam, too funny! I found a half eaten tomato and lots of droppings and posted pics in another thread; and with helpful suggestions there, I found out it's hornworms or catepillars. Had I looked closer at the picture above I would have known right away....but the good news is, I think I've gotten rid of all of them and have beautiful tomatoes ripening! Yay!