Red pod found in garden soil

[Dorts]

What you have got may well a 'Leatherjacket' and turn into a Cranefly.

[animartco]

A cranefly with yellow stripes? What the? Small point. Craneflies do not hatch from chrysalissesses, They wear leather jackets. (or yellow striped leather jackets.)

[slimrbp]

Originally Posted by animartco

A cranefly with yellow stripes? What the?

Well as I said I didn't give it a very close look, but on flicking through a field guide Nephrotoma crocata looked to be a likely candidate.

[animartco]

Hi Slimrdp. What you had was probably a large ichneumon (Oh der my spelling.) The butterfly or moth in your Chrysalis had been eaten, and what 'hatched' was the parasite! I didn't know there was a black and yellow one, but obviously there is, so I've learned something.
A word about leather jackets, just to make it clear to people. Hope I don't sound pedantic. They hatch into craneflies or daddy long legs as they are more commonly called, and they are nothing like chrisalids. They are regular tubular, do not show the shape of wings etc, and remain soft, I think (could be wrong) until they hatch. That's a point. I suppose they must pupate, though probably for a very short time. I have never seen a pupa. Must look it up.

[Miss Caretaker]

Leatherjackets are a favourite food of starlings and you can tell when they are in your lawn by the flocks of starlings pecking through it!

[Amylou]

Well its definatly changed shape. Its longer and the tip is more defined!

[Jason Claxton]

Hi Amylou

It is good to see that the moth is still developing,so far,so good

[Harry Eales]

I'm fairly certain that what you have is the pupae of a Noctuid moth, specifically, The Large Yellow Underwing, N.pronuba probably the most abundant of all the medium sized moths.

To tell it is alive, simply touch it with the tip of your tongue, it it is cold it is alive. If warm it is dead. This is a far more accurate test than squeezing it, which could cause permanent damage.

Harry