The Isabella Tiger moth has a wingspan of 1.75 to 2 inches. The forewing is pale tan with faint brownish lines and variable scattered small black spots. The hindwing is pale orange on the male and rose on the female. The large thorax and face are covered with dense burnt-orange hairs. The abdomen is mostly orange with a row of black dorsal spots. On the front legs the femurs are rosy and the tibia and tarsus are black. The Woolly Bear caterpillars are stout bodied and covered with dense black and orange hairs. They can also be colored all brown, rust or tan. They grow to be 2 inches in length.
The Isabella Tiger Moth is common at Fontenelle Forest and Neale Woods. The caterpillars are more often seen than the moths and usually in the fall on the boardwalk or crossing trails. The adult moths have been seen at Fontenelle Forest Nature Center and Camp Brewster in April. They are attracted to artificial lights.
The larval food plants are many low plants and deciduous trees including aster, elm, grass, maple, nettles and sunflower. The nearly mature caterpillar overwinters in leaf litter and resumes feeding again in spring. Pupation is in spring. The colors of the caterpillar change as it molts becoming less black and more orange. The color difference is really an age difference and not an indicator of the severity of the coming winter, as is commonly believed.
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