INSECTS AFFECTING PARK AND WOODLAND TREES I 59 



spined, black, red spotted caterpillars may not be known to many. This 

 insect was present in great numbers in various sections of the State in 1899 

 when its depredations on elms led to considerable complaint. It not onl\- 

 feeds on elms but occasionally it is so abundant as to literally strip acres of 



poplars. 



Description. The parent insect is a magnificent dark maroon Ijuttertly 

 Avith blue spotted, black and yellow bordered wings which liave an expanse 

 of about 3 inches [.wr pi. 10, fig. i i J. The under surface of the wings 

 presents a striking contrast, being a dark bluish black and brown intermixed 

 with some yellowish gray. ' The yellow border of the upper surface is rep- 

 resented by a brown specked gray with a little dull yc-llow. The color of 

 the under surface of the wings is somewhat varial)le Init it is remarkable for 

 its protective value. The butterfly with its closed wings freciuently appears 

 much like a scale of loosened moss or a bit of brownish or black vegetable 

 matter. The yellowish eight or nine ribbed eggs which so.mi turn reddish 

 and finally black just before hatching are deposited in a band or a nearly 

 complete one around a twig, as shown at figure 7 on plate 10, one egg much 

 enlarged being represented at figure 8.' This shows not only the larger 

 ribs but the transverse markings between them. The dot bedside the egg 

 represents its natural size. The recently hatched caterpillars are brown, 

 black and hairy and as they increase in size the other characteristics shown 

 at figure 9 on plate 10 become more apparent. The full grown caterpillar is 

 about 2 inches long, black and a.med with numerous short branched spines. 

 Along the back there is a row of somewhat diamond shaped red spots and 

 closed examination shows the caterpillar to be marked with transverse rows 

 of minute white spots. The abdominal prologs are reddish. The chr>salis 

 is a peculiar, angular looking structure which is variable in color and m 

 nature it usually harmonizes pretty closely with surrounding objects. It is 

 represented at figure 10 on plate 10. 



Life history. Strange though it may seem, this apparently delicate 

 butterfly successfully withstands the rigors of our northern winters with no 

 better shelter than that afforded by a crevice among stones, a sheltering 



