The mature caterpillar is about 1 3/8 inches in length. It is green with a prominent white subdorsal stripe, 2 thin yellowish stripes on the sides and numerous white dots. There are also yellowish bands across the first 4 abdominal segments. The head is green and shiny. The anterior prolegs and thoracic legs are pale green. The adult moth is gray with black markings and a bent black bar in the lower median area of the forewing. The hindwing is pale gray with a darker outer margin. The wingspan is approximately 1.5 inches.
The frequency of occurrence of this species is not currently known for this area. It has been photographed once in Fontenelle Forest in early June. There is one generation a year with mature caterpillars found in mid-April through early July.
The food plants are ash, hop hornbeam, oak, maple, walnut, virburnum and many other trees and shrubs. Females lay eggs in rafts of usually 30 or more. The caterpillars feed mostly at night on the tender leaves. Quakers are in the tribe Orthosiini whose members overwinter as pupae. The adult moths are nearly fully formed (except for the wings) in the pupal casing by mid-summer. They are among the first moths to emerge in spring.
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