Full grown larvae are about 20 mm long, pale yellow with four brown dorsal longitudinal stripes, and have an orange-brown head capsule. Most larvae descend to the ground on spun silk threads or fall with the nest prior to pupation. Some pupate within the nest while it is still in the crown, subsequently falling with the nest when it is dislodged by wind or rain. The pupa overwinters in leaf litter or just below the soil surface. Only one generation occurs per year throughout its range.
Attacked foliage exhibits a bright red-brown color as the remaining leaf tissue of the nest dies.
When populations are high, the entire crown of the tree may be affected. Cherry scallop shell moth populations which have remained at epidemic levels for two or more years are usually significantly reduced by an egg-parasitizing wasp of the genus Telenomus .