Dagger moth larvae feed on leaves of alder, ash, birch, elm, hickory, maple, oak, poplar, walnut, willow and other deciduous trees.

Caterpillar moderately large, densely clothed in long white or yellowish setae of variable length; long, paired black lashes on first and third abdominal segments and unpaired medial lash on eighth segment. Head black. Food: maples and many other forest hardwoods. Caterpillar: June to October; 2 generations in South, 1 in North. (U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey)