Today’s caterpillar resides in the very diverse Family Noctuidae. The confused woodgrain (Morrisonia confusa #10521) is a generalist, feeding on a wide variety of dicotyledonous plants. The two I am featuring here were found on white oak (Quercus alba) at Huzzah Conservation Area in Phelps County, MO.
The confused woodgrain, named because of the wing pattering of the adult, has only a single brood each year. The larvae can be found from June through October. This long development in the larval stage is common in polyphagous species. This is assumedly due to the wide variety of secondary phytochemicals that the larvae and their gut flora must be able to contend with. It is also assumed that specialist species generally develop quicker due to being in sync with just one or a few specific hosts.
A Thousand Acres of Silphiums 