WOOLLY GRAY

WOOLLY GRAY

Lycia ypsilon
GEOMETER MOTH FAMILY (Geometridae)


Click on each photo thumbnail to enlarge.

The Woolly Gray caterpillar is brightly colored with yellow, red, black and white spots in one form. Another form is gray and brown. It grows to 1.5 inches long. The Woolly Gray Moth has a wingspan of 1 1/8 – 1 5/8 inches. The forewing of the male is gray with a grayish white or pale gray median area and black lines. The hindwing is grayish white or light gray with various dark scales. The body is hairy and gray with a conspicuous whitish band across the thorax and dark bands and spots on the abdomen. The adult females are wingless.

 

The frequency of occurrence at Fontenelle Forest or Neale Woods is not known. The caterpillars shown here were photographed at Fontenelle Forest in the wetlands Butterfly Garden in late May 2017.

 

There are 3 species of Lycia in North America. The common food plants of the larva are apple, cherry, oak and other woody plants. There is one generation with mature caterpillars in early summer. The species overwinters as a pupa.

 

Disclaimer: The content of NatureSearch is provided by dedicated volunteer Naturalists of Fontenelle Forest who strive to provide the most accurate information available. Contributors of the images retain their copyrights. The point of contact for this page is: Babs Padelford.