"Liz & Andy" wrote in message
...

Jon Rouse wrote in message
...
Sorry if you've down this one recently, but we've not been urgling of
late.

Whilst digging in the garden I've found quite a lot of mahogany coloured
things that look like chrysalises, but wiggle when you disturb them.
They are about 3/4 inch long and 3/8 in diameter, a smooth cylinder for
half the length and segmented in the other half.

Goodies or baddies?

Jon

Leatherjackets. Baddies

Liz

I beg to differ with Liz on the leatherjacket ID (though it's difficult
without a picture). IME leatherjakets are are only about 1/8 inch diameter
and are segmented all the way down and are a dull greyish brown.

I tend to think that what you have found is indeed chrysalis (the mahogany
colour and the smooth half 'body') that are beginning to get ready to hatch.
Last year I found a few wriggly ones and gave them to the two young boys
next door (with a suitable 'home') so that they could see what happened.
They were thrilled when they emerged and we let them fly off :-) This year
the oldest says to me every time I see him 'I think I saw one of our
butterflies yesterday' .

HTH

--A