What is this.....?

[Speedy]

Found him while I was cleaning the yard...

The pics are not loading for me, give me a few to go upload onto photo bucket...

 

[Speedy]

 

[clam1991]

any other angles?

i almost thought it was a dog turd

 

[jasen&crystal]

that pic. looks kinda like a beat up sow bug need better pic may be a beatle cacoon?

 

[Speedy]

any other angles?

i almost thought it was a dog turd

Lmao.. EXACTLY what I thought it was at first....

There aren't many angles to it... Big lumpy turd-bug...

It's about 2.5" long..

 

[ErinKelley]

I think it will turn into a moth of some sort. Looks like a hornworm type pupae.

 

[Speedy]

That does look like this little one... Not sure if this thing is alive, I will have to do more researching.

Do they usually lay dormant over winter?
It's freezing outside, and this thing was just lying next to my tree.

 

[clam1991]

its a crysalyst
not sure about spelling

but yeah it'll either turn into a moth or butterfly by spring

keep it to find out

 

[Speedy]

I'm hoping it is a tomato worm, I love those little, well, big guys.
I was a little kid when I first found one, that thing freaked me out

 

[El Viejo]

It definitely looks like a tomato hornworm pupae to me. That would hatch out as a sphinx moth, probably in the spring. If you want to keep it, put it in a critter keeper and be sure it has a stick next to it so it can crawl up on it as the adult emerges. If not, the wings will not dry out properly & it will never be able to fly.

 

[arachyd]

I usually set them on my kitchen windowsill and forget about them until one day I look up and see a beautiful, newly emerged moth. I've never had one fail to emerge and climb up the curtain.

 

[willyomt]

It IS definitely a moth pupa of some sort, and they do overwinter in the ground. Can't say for sure if it is a Sphinx moth pupa though. My experience with sucessfully hatching moth cocoons/pupae has shown that keeping them cold (or cool) is key to their emergence in the Spring. Good luck!