What SLF Looks Like
at Every Stage

Color & Pattern

Gray-brown waxy coating that looks exactly like a smear of dried mud or old putty. Fresh masses are smooth and slightly shiny. Weathered masses from previous falls crack and darken to a scaly, bark-like texture that blends almost perfectly into rough surfaces. Scrape the gray coat gently and you'll see 30–50 pale tan seed-like eggs arranged in parallel rows of 7–10 beneath.

Color & Pattern

Jet black body with small, perfectly circular bright white dots arranged in two rows along the abdomen. The white dots are sharply defined — not blurry or irregular. At this size they can be mistaken for tiny beetles or seeds, but no native North American insect at this size has this stark white-on-black polka dot pattern.

Color & Pattern

Same black body with round white spots as the 1st instar, but larger and easier to see. The white dots remain the defining feature — circular, evenly spaced, and bright against the black background. Slightly more active than 1st instars; may begin to aggregate in small clusters on preferred host stems.

Color & Pattern

Vivid scarlet-red body with black vertical stripes running lengthwise and bright white circular spots — a dramatic polka-dot-on-red pattern. The contrast is striking: pure red, clean black stripes, and white dots arranged in rows. No native North American insect at this size looks anything like this. If you see something red-and-black with white dots in July or August, it is almost certainly this stage.

Color & Pattern

At rest (wings closed): tan-gray forewings with neat rows of black spots and a mottled gray-brown outer margin — looks like a gray moth from a distance and is commonly overlooked. Abdomen shows yellow and black banding when visible. When disturbed or in flight, the forewings part to reveal brilliant scarlet-red hindwings with black spots and a crisp white band along the trailing edge. This red is vivid — not rust or burgundy, but fire-engine red. No native North American insect has this wing pattern.

Color & Pattern

Wings are typically spread flat rather than folded tent-like as in live specimens. The gray-tan forewings with black spots remain visible and are still identifiable after death, though colors fade over time. In recently deceased specimens the red hindwings may still be partially visible beneath the forewings. Older carcasses become desiccated and darker, but the spot pattern on the forewings usually persists.