• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Home Garden Joy
  • Home
  • How to Garden
    • Garden Pests
    • Plant Diseases
    • Plant Profiles
    • Raised Bed Gardening
    • Seed Starting
    • Tools & Equipment
  • Vegetables
  • Fruit
  • Herbs
  • About
    • Books & Classes
      • Herbalism Classes
      • Books for Christian Herbalists
      • Privacy Policy

Name This Cocoon

March 20, 2009 by Jeanne



Okay my Virginia gardening friends…or just anyone in the know…what will this cocoon turn into? I found three on my buddleia (Butterfly Bushes) in the butterfly garden I put into the perennial flower beds last year. They are each about two inches long, fat, and beautifully ridged shades of gray, taupe, and brown, with a bit of red cast to them. Am I hatching something wonderful, like a monarch or swallow tail butterfly, or Mothra?

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Previous Post: « Bicycles
Next Post: First Gardening Day of Spring »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Annie

    March 21, 2009 at

    Phil said immediately, ” It’s a praying mantis. They’ll have about 150 babies in each cocoon. Make sure they stay outside. It’s good to have alot of them around.They eat insects.” We have seen the babies right after hatching. They cling tenaciously to leaves and sway in the breeze. And always, they remind us to pray. 🙂 Annie

  2. Jeanne

    March 21, 2009 at

    That would be wonderful! I’ve seen praying mantis egg cases in the woods, but they usually dangle under a branch, and these egg cases are firmly attached to the leaves. I go out every day and visit them. We left them and didn’t trim down the bushes….even if it was a moth, I’d have left it. I can’t wait until they hatch. And I love praying mantis. We had one on a window screen last fall that just stayed with us until the cold weather set in. We’d go and say hello to it every day.

Primary Sidebar

Let’s Connect!

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Substack
  • YouTube

Featured by the American Horticulture Society

As Seen in Porch

 As Seen in Porch

We were featured in Porch.com and answered reader's questions about indoor plants.

Explore All Gardening Articles

Latest Articles

  • How to Grow Asparagus in the Home Garden
  • How to Grow Potatoes in the Home Garden
  • Christmas Gifts for Gardeners They’ll Love

Herbalism Classes & Supplies

Goods Shop by Herbal Academy – botanically inspired products

Disclosure

Home Garden Joy participates in two affiliate programs: Amazon and The Herbal Academy. Home Garden Joy earns a commission from qualifying purchases as an Amazon Associate. As an Herbal Academy Associate, HGJ also earns a commission when you sign up for classes or purchase herbs or supplies from The Herbal Academy. Herbal information and recipes on this site are provided for educational purposes only.

Footer

three cats checking out their christmas stockings

Christmas Gifts for Gardeners They’ll Love

Are you looking for Christmas gifts for gardeners? This is your holiday gift guide to find the perfect present for that special gardener in your life! I have a lot of experience shopping for Christmas gifts for gardeners, that’s for sure. My dad was an avid gardener, and I delighted in buying him gifts from…

Read More

lettuce plants in the garden

Beginner-Friendly Easy to Grow Vegetables

Have you ever wanted to start a vegetable garden, but felt completely lost about what to grow? Here at Home Garden Joy, I specialize in making gardening fun and easy for beginners. Sometimes, the gardening information available is scary. It reads like a cross between chemistry class and a foreign language. Well, I’m here to…

Read More

a wheelbarrow with bag of soil, trowel, pots and plants

Three Easy Steps to Improve Garden Soil

When you improve garden soil, you improve the health of your plants. And, you improve the nutrient quality and quantity of fruits, vegetables, and herbs. There’s an old saying in gardening: The better the soil, the healthier the plants. And the healthier the vegetables, fruits, and herbs you grow in your home garden, the healthier…

Read More

raised bed vegetable garden

Beginner’s Tips to Starting a Vegetable Garden

Whether you’re new to backyard gardening or just bought your first home and have always longed for the day when you can plant an organic vegetable garden, these tips for starting a backyard garden offer newcomers to the world of gardening useful information to help you be successful. Vegetable gardening doesn’t need to be expensive,…

Read More

  • Privacy Policy
  • About
  • Awards

Copyright © 2025 Home Garden Joy on the Foodie Pro Theme