Cherry Scallop Shell Moth


Cherry Scallop Shell Moth (Rheumaptera prunivorata) looking like someone all set to go to the office donned in their favorite warm woolen herringbone business suit. Or perhaps it looks like my tiger-striped kitty that I had when I was little. Tinker. But these wavy stripes are quite distinctive even for a moth. This moth is found in eastern North America from Brunswick, Quebec and Ontario south through the US to Georgia. Its caterpillars eat the leaves of cherry trees though its very favorite leaf is the Black Cherry. The larvae of the Cherry Scallop Shell Moth are gregarious and feed together, seeking shelter in little tents they make by tying leaves together with silk.