[4] The larvae are loopers (inchworms) like the rest in the family.

[5] Recorded food plants include Aster, Rudbeckia, Liatris, Solidago, Artemisia, Achillea and Rubus species.

The caterpillars employ the unusual behavior of affixing bits of the plant tissue on which they are feeding to the several large spines on their back.

This provides cover from gleaning birds that rely on keen eyesight.

The camouflage can also block smaller animals from sensing them.