Identification
forewing black with thick and thin yellowish to cream-colored lines; only 1 transverse line on forewing, which extends as a zigzag from costa near apex
hindwing yellow with extensive black shading in both sexes
look for yellow line on underside of abdomen
[description by Charles Covell]
It's reported that speciosa is the slightly smaller species, but I'm not certain how reliable that is. One other thing is that although both species tend to peak through July, it seems that virguncula is more abundant in June (at least in southern Canada & northern US parts of its range) ... but again, I don't know how reliable that is. --… J.D. Roberts, 25 June, 2008
Range
Newfoundland to North Carolina in the mountains, west to South Dakota, north to Alberta and Yukon Territory
Season
adults fly from June to August
Food
larvae feed on dandelion, knotweed, plantain, and other low plants
Life Cycle
female with eggs; larva; pupa; adult
See Also
forewing of Anna Tiger Moth (
Grammia anna) has 1 or 2 lines near base (rather than a single line near apex)