Fred H. 0 Report post Posted September 14, 2008 Found these on my siding after the hurricane. they look like an old broken twig. Obviously a cocoon of some sort of moth or butterfly. Has anyone ever seen this before and can tell me what they are?. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
British mike 0 Report post Posted September 14, 2008 Sorry Fred. No idea but as you said some sort of moth cocoon im sure. You going to dress one?.............. Mike....................... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rhinorods69 0 Report post Posted September 15, 2008 now sure were about's your from but it kinda looks like a pine cone no joke intended any ways good luck and tight lines rhino.................... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Fred H. 0 Report post Posted September 15, 2008 Mike, I'm going to hang them from a shelf over my flytying bench and wait to see what they turn out to be. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
British mike 0 Report post Posted September 15, 2008 Make sure that nothing ugly hatches out and scares the household Fred.......................................... Let me know what it is ok Mike................................... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JSzymczyk 0 Report post Posted September 15, 2008 They're definately Lepidoptera chrysalids- the pupal stage of a butterfly, not a moth. We could narrow it down a little bit- what size are they? and were they hanging vertically by the "tail" (correctly called a cremaster) or were they fastened upright with the tail attached at the bottom, and with a little safety belt holding them out from the siding at an angle? I'm going to take an initial W-A-G - these are a species of swallowtail, either Tiger Swallowtail (Pterorus glaucus) or Black Swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes). It appears I can see a remnant of a girdle line (the safety belt I mentioned) on the one, and the form is very close to the swallowtails I've reared. Do you have any cherry, tuliptree, sassafras, fennel, or carrots growing nearby? They can easily dessicate and die if you keep them indoors in air-conditioning, otherwise they are pretty durable. One thing to watch out for- wild caterpillars are heavily parasitized by braconid wasps and tachinid flies. They are harmless to humans but I've had these nasties hatch out of chrysalids and cocoons I've collected outdoors. Hopefully you'll be lucky and have a couple beautiful butterflies to look at before long. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Fred H. 0 Report post Posted September 15, 2008 They were found attached at the tail end . Not hanging , they were vertical at a forty five. They measure 1 and a half inch in lenght. Should they be anchored anew? Or can they emerge from their cocoon if left unattached? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
j74snook 0 Report post Posted September 15, 2008 fred' is that tree bark attatched to the big end? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Fred H. 0 Report post Posted September 15, 2008 fred' is that tree bark attatched to the big end? no that is all insect. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JSzymczyk 0 Report post Posted September 15, 2008 Fred- they should be OK. Based on the size, I'll guess they are either Tiger Swallowtail or possibly even Giant Swallowtail (Papilio cresphontes) if you have any citrus trees nearby. It would be best if you could put them on or near something the butterflies can crawl up on to expand their wings when they hatch. Something like a piece of nylon mesh works good. They like to hang after they hatch (eclose) and it makes it much easier for them to pump their wings to full size and dry out. I'm not familiar with the flight seasons of the swallowtails where you are, these may want to wait until next spring to come out, or if you usually see them in late September/October, they might be ready to hatch soon. Good luck and make sure you take some pics when they appear! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Fred H. 0 Report post Posted September 15, 2008 yes, I have an orange and a lemon close to where they were found. Both are laden with fruit and wont flower again till next spring. I do have a loquat in bud.It should flower out in the next couple of weeks. I would assume they will time their hatching or emergence with their prefered fauna in bloom, no? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JSzymczyk 0 Report post Posted September 16, 2008 Very likely those are Giants then- great butterflies. The adult butterflies will take nectar from any available source, even getting nutrients from mineral-laden mud. They don't care whether or not the citrus are in bloom. The larvae (caterpillars) eat citrus leaves, along with only a very few other things. If your citrus trees don't drop their leaves, and it doesn't freeze there, you may have larvae at any time of the year. Obviously they will be more common in spring through summer. These could also overwinter in their pupal stage, so don't be discouraged if they just sit around for a long time. As long as the segments of the abdomen of the pupa remain flexible, they're usually OK. If they get hard as a rock, then usually that means they've dried out and died. They're great- a freshly emerged Giant Swallowtail is an impressive creature. The size and proximity to citrus trees makes me think Giants, but I'm wrong a lot. Just ask my wife... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Claudia 0 Report post Posted May 20, 2009 Hi Fred. iv been waiting a long time out of curiosity, and i was wondering if they did hatch yet? Regards C Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Fred H. 0 Report post Posted May 21, 2009 Hi Fred. iv been waiting a long time out of curiosity, and i was wondering if they did hatch yet? Regards C Claudia , I'm sad to say the cocoons disapeared before they hatched out. I had them in a large bird cage on my back porch , checking them twice a day waiting for their emergence. One mourning the cage was on the ground and torn open. I can only assume it was hungry racoons. This is not the first incident of this kind . I guess it is a trade off for living in a remote area. The wildlife ,birds ,mamals and reptiles are beautiful to observe up close . Sometimes hunger and curiosity brings them too close. Fred Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Claudia 0 Report post Posted May 21, 2009 Hi Fred. what a shame! it could be qwite cool to see what they turned out to be. sad the racoons got to them. Thanks for sharing anyway. Have a great spring and even better summer C Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites