It is found in North America from Nova Scotia west to Alberta, south to Colorado and California and zones of Spain The caterpillars grow to about 25 mm long.

[1] The larvae feed on a large variety of deciduous trees and shrubs, including Ulmus, Fraxinus and Acer.

Other recorded hosts include hackberry, oak, various members of the rose family, walnut and willow.

These insects are called fall cankerworms because the females emerge from the soil in November, mate and lay their eggs in clusters on hardwood trees.

[3] The larvae, called loopers or inchworms, are considered a serious pest of many tree species because they can cause major defoliation in the new spring growth.