Help needed!

[Ickle Welshy]

Hi!

I have a wooden summer house in my garden, and have recently discovered I have some lodgers hanging from the ceiling in there! I think they could be butterflies but have no knowledge of the different species and I hope someone can help me identify them. They're about an inch long, look grey/light brown with stripes, and have little horns. Not sure if their metamorphis has been interrupted/stopped as to me they haven't changed in weeks. There is one the looks like it didn't survive the start as it is about quarter inch without any horns. I have a picture but no idea how to upload!

If anyone knows what they may be, any help would be greatly appreciated

With thanks

Kim

[Vince Massimo]

Hi Kim, a photo would be very helpful

Instructions are here: videogallery.php?mode=view&id=167

Alternatively you can e-mail it to me at vince@ukbutterflies.co.uk

Vince

[Vince Massimo]

Thanks for e-mailing an image to me, Kim.

It looks very much like the chrysalis of a Small Tortoiseshell. This is the wrong time of year for finding them, so it's either empty or dead.
You can see full details of this species here: http://www.ukbutterflies.co.uk/species. ... es=urticae . Just scroll down to the bottom for images of the chrysalis.

Vince

[Ickle Welshy]

Thanks very much Vince we've had a look and are all agreed that there is a striking resemblance at least we know that it's something beautiful and not something that might hurt us like a hornet (which was one suggestion!)

Kim