Usually the entire tree is involved with larvae scattered here and there throughout the foliage. Leaflets from different leaves often are webbed together. Repeated attacks seriously weaken trees, occasionally leading to death of some trees. Five white stripes run the length of the body. The larvae are extremely active, wriggle violently, and drop on silk strands when disturbed much like many leaf-rollers.
Wings are gray with silver sheen and black dots.
Life History Moths appear in June and lay eggs on mimosa flowers and foliage. The larvae feed gregariously within a web spun over flowers and leaves. In midsummer larvae descend to the ground on silken threads and spin cocoons in cracks in bark or in ground cover. The webbing is most conspicuous in August from the 2nd brood. Second generation pupae overwinter in crevices on tree trunks or protected by soil cover or litter.