Photo by Drees. Young caterpillars are greenish-white with an oversized black head.
Mature larvae are smooth, olive-green, tapered toward the back end and have a black head.
The body is constricted just behind the head, making larvae appear as if they had a neck. Two or three chalky-white spots occur on the underside between the back legs. The male butterfly is orange-brown with a single large black spot on each forewing whereas the female is dark brown with a few silver and orange spots on the forewings. The wingspan is about 1 inch. This is the only group of butterflies which feed on the forage and turf grasses.