Females are larger than males.
Male abdomen is black with a red tip, female abdomen is black.
Upperside of wings is gray with narrow black borders, black at the wing bases, and wide translucent white bands. Females lay eggs circling a main stem that will expose the eggs to sun. Eggs overwinter and hatch in the spring. Young caterpillars feed in clusters and older ones feed alone. Fully-grown caterpillars wander and make loose cocoons in leaf litter or a few inches underground in soft soil.