Linden Looper Moth 

Erannis tiliaria

November 18, 2004

I found two of these geometrids (also known as "Winter Moths") at the light last night.  The adults are only out in fall and winter and look like the dead leaves that surround them.

As with a number of the cold season moths, the females are flightless.  They call in the males from their stationary posts, and lay their eggs within the crevices of trees.

In some areas, there can be large populations of the caterpillars and they've been known to do some serious defoliatin' on a variety of flowering deciduous trees.