The Morning-glory Prominent Moth or False Unicorn Caterpillar (Schizura ipomoeae) is a moth

Moth

A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth , with thousands of species yet to be described...

 of the Notodontidae

Notodontidae

Notodontidae is a family of moths with approximately 3,500 known species. Moths of this family are found in all parts of the world, but they are most concentrated in tropical areas, especially in the New World...

 family. It is found in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 and southern Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

.

The wingspan

Wingspan

The wingspan of an airplane or a bird, is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777 has a wingspan of about ; and a Wandering Albatross caught in 1965 had a wingspan of , the official record for a living bird.The term wingspan, more technically extent, is...

 is 36-47 mm. The forewings are highly variable in colour but usually greyish brown with a pattern of black streaks and spots. The hindwings are dirty white in males and dark grey in females. Adults are on wing from April to September in the south and from June to August in the north. There is one generation per year in the north.

The larvae feed on the leaves of various woody plants, including Fagus

Fagus

Fagus may refer to:* Fagus , a god of beech trees in Celtic mythology, especially in Gaul and the Pyrenees.* Fagus, the genus of beeches* Fagus, Missouri, named for the beech* the Fagus Factory, a German architectural landmark of 1913...

, Betula, Ulmus, Acer

Acer

Acer may refer to:* Acer , the genus of trees and shrubs commonly known as Maple, from the Latin word ācer meaning sharp* Acer Inc., a Taiwan-based international computer company...

, Ipomoea

Ipomoea

Ipomoea is the largest genus in the flowering plant family Convolvulaceae, with over 500 species. Most of these are called "morning glories", but this can refer to related genera also. Those formerly separated in Calonyction are called "moonflowers"...

, Quercus and Rosa

Rose

A rose is a woody perennial of the genus Rosa, within the family Rosaceae. There are over 100 species. They form a group of erect shrubs, and climbing or trailing plants, with stems that are often armed with sharp prickles. Flowers are large and showy, in colours ranging from white through yellows...

species. Larvae can be found from May to October. The species overwinters in the pupal stage.