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Northwestern Gardening

Friend or foe?

9 years ago

last modified: 9 years ago

While planting some new perennials, I dug up two little pupa, but didn't know what they were, so put them back. Now I'm wondering if I should have destroyed them. They were very hard, shiny reddish chestnut brown, about an inch long and look like what I find as cutworm or moth pupa on the internet. Is there any way to tell? Is there a beneficial garden insect that they could be? They were under a mature red Japanese lace leaf maple and I was planting scotch moss (which is what was there last year, too). Should I try to find them again?

they looked very much like this, altho I am in Olympia:

Looked like this

Featured Answer

redtartan

9 years ago

june bug? Usually in my experience large pupa like that are never friends.

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Comments (9)

gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
9 years ago
Very likely cutworm pupae. Not something you want to hang around to maturity ;-))
Olychick thanked gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
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Olychick
Original Author
9 years ago
Thanks, I'll give them to the birds so I don't feel so bad about digging them up (in case they are something else).
redtartan
9 years ago
Don't feel bad about it. Generally the pupa that are brown like that and are in the soil are not beneficial.
Olychick thanked redtartan
tacomagirl
9 years ago
I was told those were black ground beetle pupa...very beneficial!
gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
9 years ago
I believe you were misinformed :-) Google 'cutworm pupae' and 'ground beetle pupae' and compare the images. I think you'll find that ground beetle larvae/pupae look nothing like what the OP described but her description is dead-on for cutworms.
tacomagirl
9 years ago
They look similar to me, but apparently, what do I know?
larry_gene
9 years ago
The two online searches can be confusing as they show a mix of all life stages. Generally, beetle pupae have prominent leg part extensions while cutworm (moth) pupae are smooth with minor indentations here and there.
Katelyn Stark
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
Just found these today while I was weeding. Definitely a cutworm. Are they residing below soil and do they secrete a white fluid when squished? That's a good...well bad if it is...sign (or so I've read) that it's a cutworm. Try to kill the ones you find. Here are good, organic ways to get them away from your plants.

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