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Project Noah Nature School
Dryocampa rubicunda
Extremely variable in color. Mostly pink and yellow with some white to cream. Some have some greenish yellow on them. They are fuzzy and beautiful. The male's antenna tend to be fuzzier than the female's antenna.
Deciduous forests. Range from Nova Scotia west through Quebec to Ontario and Minnesota, south to Dade County, Florida, the Gulf Coast, and eat Texas. They host on maple trees.I found it interesting that the adults do not need food.
They host on maple trees. I find it interesting that the adults do not need food. The adults emerge in the late afternoon and mate in the evening. Females begin laying eggs at dusk the next day in groups of 10-30 on leaves of the host plant, (Maple trees). Eggs hatch in about 2 weeks and feed gregariously when young. Older caterpillars feed alone. Fully-grown caterpillars pupate and overwinter in shallow underground chambers.
Spotted on Sep 28, 2011
Submitted on Oct 28, 2011
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