I hope this link works. Can someone tell me whether the red capsule-like thing is also a cutworm? I have tons of these in the earth and have not known whether they are beneficial or whether I should toss them to the birds. Thanks. http://images.google.ca/imgres?imgu...firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&sa=N
Elle-thank you for posting that image. I have also seen those pupae in my soil, and somehow never thought about what they "turned into". This seems to indicate that they are the chrysalid stage of the cutworm (miller) moth. If someone can definitely confirm this, I will add them to my target list which already includes the cutworm worm and the adult moths which seem to hide all over the place at certain times of year. Cutworms are so destructive in my garden, I would like to minimize their population as much as possible!
arent the casules fun? pick'em up and give them the slightest pressure and their hind end starts to twirl, last year we had a few of them in a jar for a while and they turned in to a small brown moth.
Yep, I concur with you. I also took one and put it in a jar to see what it turned into although that doesn't really help in determining what the creature was that turns into these reddish capsules.
cutworm to cocoon (pupae?) to brown moth is my understanding. although I am not an entemologist so my terminology may be suspect.
Right jimmyq, same here. My cutworms are like those in the first link posted, and I thought those turn into white butterflies. I'm thinking moths have some benefits, or? I'm pretty careful about not squishing any cutworms unless they conform to norm. But maybe the red capsule form is more generic?
