This yellowish to white caterpillar has two pairs of sparse, black tufts at the front of its body, and a single black tuft at its rear end (not clearly shown in our image). It feeds on a variety of host trees, to include, oak, hickory, elm and others readily available in our two nature centers. These caterpillars may be seen from June to October. The adults fly from April through September. They have gray wings with darker speckling.
Although we have plenty of this caterpillar’s hosts plants, we do not yet have any information as to its abundance in our two nature center.
This caterpillar seems to mimic a tussock caterpillar in having tufts and in arching its first 2 abdominal segments upward which helps to more prominently display the tufts. Mimicry is thought to be rare in caterpillars. Favorite foodplants are hickory and walnut, but ash, dogwood, elm, oak and willow are also used.
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