On Prince Edward Island, rubicunda begin flying in late May and are still around in mid August as a single generation. Partial second broods are sometimes encountered in the New England states, but south of the Carolinas there are two and possibly even three broods with moths on the wing from January to October. Maples, particularly red and silver and sugar, are the prefered host plants for rubicunda. Pale yellow ova are laid inclusters of 20-30 on undersides of hostplant foliage.
Incubation can last up to two weeks.
Larvae are gregarious through first three of five instars, but in the final two instars they become solitary. With mature larvae attaining lengths of 55 mm, much damage can be done to maple trees during an extremely favorable year for rubicunda. Image courtesy of Tony Thomas Small heads and strong mandibles often allow this larva to escape through sleeves. Thus, it best to remove them to an indoor enclosure and move larvae which have left foliage to a pupation box. It is hoped that this alphabetical listing followed by the common name of the foodplant will prove useful.