Sphinx Pupae?

Cutworm

It looks like a cutworm, probably glassy cutworm (Apamea devastator)? It's the right color and you're in the right area. They're turf pests.

… Cerues, 23 March, 2010 - 8:42pm

Most often these simple shall

Most often these simple shallowly buried pupae belong to skippers. I've let quite a number I've dug up over the years hatch out inside, and all have been one species of skipper or another.

… Darcie Clements, 13 August, 2009 - 9:16pm

I found the same

I found the same thing with the stinger but i found it in a log pile instead of underground. It acts the same as in the video.

… loomisrowe, 3 June, 2009 - 8:42pm

unidentified pupa

it's a Cinnabar Moth they eat ragwort leaves they are good

… tara jennings, 27 April, 2016 - 9:17pm

I also found these while I wa

I also found these while I was digging my garden, the way they move when you pick them up is so strange, it really looks they're trying to sting you.

… Demixius, 8 May, 2009 - 7:50pm

Moved

Moved from Butterflies and Moths.

… john and jane balaban, 15 August, 2008 - 9:52am

Could well be sphingids

though many moths make similar pupae (as a site search of "moth pupa" will show you). Size might help. The best way to ID would be to see what came out - did you happen to keep them?

… Hannah Nendick-Mason, 14 August, 2006 - 7:09am

So embarassing, we tried... W

So embarassing, we tried... We followed instructions we found elsewhere and they seem to have died unfortunately. I don't think that I want to encourage the kids to cut them open, but I do think that I want to take them to the Trailside Museum at Blue Hills Audubon and see what they can tell us or do... I will try to measure them later today but I know that the video has them against my thumb :)

… neith, 14 August, 2006 - 7:19am

we found the same thing

It is about an inch long with what looks like a stinger that it was trying to use.

… jimlee10, 21 April, 2008 - 11:52am

If it's a moth pupa, it's not a stinger

Perhaps you found one of the sphingid pupae that has a prominent proboscis (mouthpart) along the side (below)?

… Hannah Nendick-Mason, 21 April, 2008 - 12:19pm