The caterpillars of this moth are very mischievous creatures, for they eat their way right into the hearts of cabbage and lettuce plants, and quite spoil them for the table. And as they only feed by night, and hide away beneath the surface of the ground by day, it is not at all easy to catch them. They vary a good deal in colour. Indeed, you may find them of almost any shade, from light yellowish-green to dark brown. But along the back there is always a yellow stripe, with a dark line on each side of it, while on the sides there is a row of seven or eight short black streaks.
You may find these caterpillars from March till the beginning of June.
PLATE XLV
THE RED UNDERWING (2)
As you will see by the illustration, this is a very fine and handsome moth indeed; but when it is at rest it is very difficult indeed to see it, for the bright red hind-wings are quite covered up by the grey front ones, so that it looks exactly like the bark of the trees on which it is so fond of sitting. If you want to catch it, the best place to look for it is on the trunks of willow trees, in August and September. But sometimes you may find it on fences, and just now and then it will fly through an open window into a well-lighted room by night.
The caterpillar of this beautiful moth feeds on the leaves of willows, sallows, and poplars. It is rather oddly shaped, for its back is very much arched, while its lower surface is almost flat. And, if you touch it, it only clings more tightly to its foothold, instead of curling up into a ring and dropping to the ground, as most caterpillars do. In colour it is ashy-grey, and generally has two dark, wavy stripes running along the back. When it is fully fed it spins a silken cocoon, either between two leaves or in a crack in the bark, and changes to a reddish-brown chrysalis covered with purple bloom, just like that on a ripe plum.
1. Pine Beauty
2. Old Lady