Adult - Female variegated leafroller moths are reddish brown and fairly evenly marked. There are oblique black lines on the forewings as well as scales that are raised into conspicuous tufts. The hind wings are smoky brown. The palpi are as long as the head and thorax combined. Platynota caterpillars are slender, pale, and grow to about 25 mm.
Older caterpillars have a dark line along each side of the upper back.
The head, thoracic shield, and anal shield are brownish. B, Platynota sp. C, Pupa of Platynota sp. The variegated leafroller occurs from Maine to Florida and west to Kansas and Texas. The variegated leafroller has been described as a general feeder.