Each wing of both male and female has a faint black submedian line and a small black eyespot. Shortly after mating, females lay eggs in clusters of 5-12 at the base of pine needles. Eggs hatch in about three weeks. Young caterpillars are gregarious, with 3-5 caterpillars feeding together on the same pine needle. Older caterpillars feed alone.
Caterpillars spin loose cocoons under the soil surface in which they pupate and overwinter.
One brood from April-July. Idaho and Montana south through Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, and Nevada to Arizona and New Mexico. G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery. The moths of America north of Mexico, fasc. E. W. Classey Limited and R. B. D. Publications Inc., Middlesex, England.