When they finish feeding, they drop to the ground and pupate in the soil. They do not spin a cocoon but form a naked pupal case. Populations of this species are variable from year to year and there may be several years between outbreak levels. In Texas, at least two generations of the insect develop each year. The second generation is usually larger in number and causes more damage.
Caterpillars have chewing mouthparts.
Adults have siphoning mouths. Host plants include hickory, walnut, oak, willow, honey locust and certain woody shrubs. Young larvae feed only on soft tissue, leaving a skeletonized leaf behind, while older larvae feed on the entire leaf, including the petiole. The last few stages, or instars, do the majority of the feeding damage. Damage may be localized to just a branch to two because they feed together.