Red cocoon - Ask Extension
I often find these red cocoon-like things in the soil when I'm gardening. I would like to know what they are, or rather what they will be become - a m...
Knowledgebase
Red cocoon #184768
Asked May 24, 2014, 12:21 AM EDT
I often find these red cocoon-like things in the soil when I'm gardening. I would like to know what they are, or rather what they will be become - a moth? Are they harmful to the garden?
Multnomah County Oregon
Expert Response
Thank you for attaching the image of the mystery red “cocoon.”
It’s the pupa of a moth.
A pupa is the developmental stage between a caterpillar and the adult. The adult doesn’t damage anything but, if it is a female, may lay more than numerous eggs which hatch as voracious caterpillars. Depending on which kind of caterpillar it is, it eats vegetables and/or ornamental plants.
A pupa is the developmental stage between a caterpillar and the adult. The adult doesn’t damage anything but, if it is a female, may lay more than numerous eggs which hatch as voracious caterpillars. Depending on which kind of caterpillar it is, it eats vegetables and/or ornamental plants.
