The American Lappet Moth is also known as eggars, the name eggars comes from the neat egg-shaped cocoons of these moths. American Lappet Caterpillars are hairy, especially on their sides. They feed on the leaves of many trees and shrubs and often use these same plants to camouflage their cocoons. They are in the same family as tent caterpillars.
The American Lappet Moth has a wingspan of 2.5 to 5 cm. The colouring of the forewing can be from reddish to light brown and marked with white and violet. Both their wings have white scalloping on the outer edges. They look strange when at rest as the forewings are folded over the abdomen and the hind wings protrude out.
The caterpillar can grow to 4.5 cm in length. The body is gray with white markings and is covered with soft gray hairs, the longest of these protruding from lappets on the sides of the body. There are 2 reddish-orange bands on their backs, just behind the head section, these red bands are more visible when they are in motion and almost disappear when at rest.
The larval food plants in the Pacific Northwest are alder, apple, cherry, oak, and willow. The larvae feed at night, so they are seldom encountered. They overwinter as pupa.