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Just had this request in:

A friend of mine has just seen the attached cocoon on a tree during a walk locally in Sussex, and was unable to identify it. Are you able to help please? It is about 3" in size, and a sort of silvery colour, attached to a tree.

I personally have no idea.

Anyone out there with suggestions?

At three inches it is very large for any British moths ,and as you know the "big " ones ,ie Hawk moths generally pupate underground ,the puss moth makes a very hard cocoon ,incorporating chewed up bark ,leaves etc ,but are not as big as that one,if it was smaller
I,d suggest a Spider egg mass ,but my feeling (and I,m probably wrong !) is a very young bracket fungus of some sort ( perhaps Ernie F ,will cast his eye over it.) Regards Allan.W.

Many thanks for the response, Allan. Your analysis seems sound - I certainly agree that it doesn't appear to be a moth cocoon.

Hi David,

I concur with Allan, I am pretty sure it is the young 'shoot' of a bracket fungus. I did see the same type of growth on trees before and after careful examination, I concluded that it was this rather than a cocoon of some sort.
Sylvie

Thanks for the reply, Sylvie. Much appreciated.

On a totally hopeless butterflying afternoon( one roosting male Orange -Tip !) ,I came across this ,on an ancient Hawthorn.
Regards Allan.W.

Well spotted, Allan. Looks like one and the same.