Male forewings range from pale gray with pink and black markings to almost black. Translucent hindwings range from gray to white with very faint black spots and pink at the wing bases and inner margins. 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 June-August. Pine forests at 6000-7500 feet. Mountains in Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Sonora, Mexico. G4 - Apparently secure globally, though it might be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.