Who or What is eating my broccoli?

This is the first time that I've done broccoli and they are doing well except every now and then I see these holes. What or who caused them?

Naive Brocc Grower Mo

Here's another shot - maybe a little clearer

Those are not bad and not enough to identify the culprit from this distance. It is possible that you have a few cabbage worms or cabbage loopers starting. Watch for small green caterpilars on the leaves. They can destroy brassicas in short order. They are easy to control with Bt. The only other serious pest is the harlequin bug, but they are so brightly colored that you would notice them. Flea beetles may make small holes, but the damage is mostly cosmetic. These holes are too large for flea beetles.

sorry i was really hungry :(

Mo, those cabbage worms are the same shade of green as the leaves so they're really hard to see. What you might notice, though, is very dark green "crumbs" (worm poop) where the leaves join the stems of the plants, or around the brocc. head.

clifton, I lived in Mississippi for a few years and struggled to grow broccoli (too hot)...finally got these tiny heads and I was so proud! One day saw my kindergarten age kid bending over the plants, one by one. What was she doing? She was biting the heads off of each plant in the row! And that's what she said when I flew out the door - "I was really hungry"! LOL.

LOL...hey at lest she was eating broccoli! That would have been a perfect picture.

Thanks Farmer Dill and Eileen. I've been away but looked tonight and so far no green caterpillars and no harlequins. I'll look for the poop tomorrow. I have a kindergarten aged kid also but he won't go near broccoli so he's out. :)

And Clifton I hope they tasted good!

Mo, good luck finding the culprit!

Are there pretty white butterfly's flitting around ? These are MUCH easier to see than the tiny black poops or the PERFECTLY camouflaged caterpillars(loopers).
So funny lamb, about the human cabbage looper ! I also had a five year old doing the same thing! But those "pretty" butterfly's are EVIL to me ! I am researching tomato leaf spray....
Annie

http://www.ipmofalaska.com/files/homemadepestcontrol.html

http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/514531/

This year I found a couple loopers (worms) and sprayed with Gardens Alive "bullseye bioinsecticide" just one time, seems to have done the job. Thanks for the links - interesting info.

My broccoli is a volunteers from last year.... before i realized they were there i had bought some broccoli, I ended up giving away the stuff i bought and moving the volunteers. anyhow i went to weed and one is stripped bare of the leaves!!!!! and the others have great big holes in places.....they are small already..... do you think this could be my prob?? it is dark and i cannot go look now but, can they do this much dammage??stripped completely bare!! I will have to look tomorrow..