Therefore, leaf litter can be an important cover. The mature caterpillars will pupate and overwinter underground. As they age and molt, the older caterpillars will feed alone. Rosy maple moth caterpillars are known as green-striped mapleworms. It takes the eggs about two weeks to hatch, and the young caterpillars will feed in groups together. Following mating, females lay eggs the next day in groups of 10-30 on leaves of their host plants (usually maples or occasional oaks). Adults often emerge in the late afternoon and mate at night. In Maryland, adults are typically seen at the beginning of May through much of the summer. While the caterpillars feed on maples and oaks, the adults do not feed. Occasionally, it will also lay its eggs on oak trees. It lives in deciduous forests with abundant maples, its host (caterpillar food) plant. The rosy maple moth can be found across the eastern United States and in parts of adjacent regions of Canada. They have two, large antennae that stick up and a reddish orange head. The caterpillars are light green with darker green horizontal stripes and have a few rows of small black dots. While their colorful appearance really seems to stand out, the color provides camouflage on samaras (fruits) of red maples. The wingspan of female rosy maple moths can get up to two inches in length. Their legs are reddish-pink and the feathery antennae are a golden coloration. Rosy maple moth adults have brilliant pink and bright yellow markings. Have you seen one of Maryland’s showiest moth species, the rosy maple moth? This colorful moth is one of the smaller silk moths in the family Saturniidae. Adult rosy maple moth by Andy Reago & Chrissy McClarren CC BY 2.0
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