Identification
Adult: forewing ground color dark gray or black, providing good contrast against the following four areas of white: a small basal patch, small orbicular spot, large reniform spot, and broad wavy terminal line; reniform spot with wavy basal margin and curved black line in center; all-dark
melanic specimens fairly common in Ontario [Jeff Crolla, per. com.]
hindwing gray, darker at outer margin
Larva: two forms - either light green or light brown; both forms have darker diagonal markings dorsally and ventrolaterally, and thin whitish dorsal line; head dark with 3 white dorsal lines; 8th abdominal segment humped, with dark lateral patch
Range
coast to coast in southern Canada and northern US, south to California, Arkansas, North Carolina
Habitat
wooded riparian areas, wood edges, clearings, brushy areas, waste places
Season
adults fly from May to September
Food
larvae feed on leaves of herbaceous plants (alfalfa, asparagus, bracken, clover, dandelion, goldenrod, plantain, trefoil) and woody plants (alder, birch, elder, elm, gooseberry, honeysuckle, willow)
Internet References
live larvae and adult images plus other info (Jeremy Tatum, Butterflies and Moths of Southern Vancouver Island)
live adult and larva images by various photographers (Moth Photographers Group)
live adult image (Tim Dyson, Ontario)
pinned adult image (James Adams, Dalton State College, Georgia)
adult image (Larry Line, Maryland)
food plants; PDF doc plus flight season and life cycle (Macrolepidoptera of Mont Saint-Hilaire Region, McGill U., Quebec)
common name reference plus other info (Ohio State U.)
US distribution map (Moths of North America; USGS)
presence in California; list (U. of California at Berkeley)
