This beautiful caterpillar from the gypsy family, from which the butterfly will be formed, is unfortunately a big pest of deciduous forests. The length of the body of the male reaches a maximum of 30 mm, and of the female even 65 mm.
However, before it becomes a spectacular night butterfly, it is a spectacular caterpillar, most often lemon-colored.
There are black spots on the sides, and a set of tufts of stiff hairs on the back, usually white.
The caterpillar feeds on deciduous trees such as oak, birch, beech, hornbeam, willow and hazel. This process begins in May and lasts until October.
Over time, the caterpillar pupates into a beautiful night butterfly. It has gray wings with wavy bands.
For the winter, they pupate in gray cocoons, which are located on the ground between fallen leaves.
