Banded Tussock Moth Caterpillar

Common name: Banded tussock moth, Fishers Island NY, June 2017

Scientific name: Halysidota tessellaris

Season: One generation in the Northeast, although caterpillars and adults are active throughout the summer and fall.

Food: You can find these guys in the summer on just about any tree or shrub in the forest.

Ecology: The species name for the moth (tessellaris) stands for “little square stone” in Latin (rough), which refers to the blocky pattern on the moth’s wing. As a caterpillar, it is covered in tufts of hair that makes it unattractive as a food item for birds (although the birds don’t mind eating the adults!). Picture of  caterpillar is from Newark DE, August 2014.