This moth is approximately 1inch long and has a wingspan of 1 to 1.5 inches. Individuals can be all white or marked with dark gray to black spots. The spots are arranged in rows in the basal half of the wing, usually in a v-shape. The ventral side of the prothorax and the femur of the foreleg have orange hairs (photos A & C). This moth is very similar to the Virginian Tiger Moth, but is much smaller. The caterpillar is over 1 inch long when mature. It is variable in color and has hairs of differing lengths, some quite long. They are usually found in large numbers eating leaves within a silken nest.
These moths are common at Fontenelle Forest and Neale Woods. The adults can be found from late April to August. The caterpillars can be seen in communal nests in late summer and fall.
The female lays up to 1500 eggs in a mass under a leaf of the host plant and covers them with hairs from her abdomen. Adults emerge in spring and are nocturnal. The larva uses over 100 secies of trees including ash, hickory, maple, oak and walnut. Infestations have little impact to the host because the damage occurs near the end of the growing season. The species overwinters as a pupa.
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