"Garden puss" wrote in message
...
Miss Perspicacia Tick Wrote:
Garden puss wrote:-
I was edging my lawn, and there was an insect/grub/something a couple
of inches under the soil that I turned up that I didn't recognise. Of
course, I am a complete novice gardener, so it may be something
common! But it wasn't in any of my (few!) gardening books, and I
haven't found anything on the net. Perhaps somebody could help me?
It was about an inch long, shiny conker-brown, rounded at one end,
and
pointy cone-shaped (with distinct segments). The pointy end kept on
swivelling round as if looking for something or wanting to burrow
back
down (but being on my trowel it had no luck).
So, what was it? And is it friend or foe?
Thanks in advance!-
I would say earwig, but then I would have thought that anyone would
have
been able to recognise an earwig.
As we have nothing to go on (as the policeman said when he found
someone had
nicked all the urinals. Come back tomorrow, folks, I'm here all week!)
could
you give me some more info: -
1) Was it a beetle? Did it have a hard carapace?2) Could it fly?
Were
its wings visible (i.
--
In memory of MS MVP Alex Nichol: http://www.dts-l.org/
* * *
Yup, I recognise earwigs! It definitely wasn't an earwig.
It did seem to have a fairly rigid outside - it really did look like
the outside of a conker, shiny, brown, smooth - but it wasn't anything
like I expect beetles to be like. It was cylindrical - no carapace, no
wings (not even any legs).
FWIW, I've had a look at pictures for the suggestions so far, and I
don't think it was a leatherjacket.
--
Garden puss
I'm familiar with them - often unearthed when digging around or clearing up
the nether parts of the garden.
Seems to be almost certainly a moth or butterfly chrysalis of some
description - do they look similar to this picture?
http://www.hortnet.co.nz/key/keys/in...cl/lba-pup.htm
You could always keep it in a suitable container covered with a little earth
and see what emerges...
--
Richard Sampson
mail me at
richard at olifant d-ot co do-t uk