Appearance
The adults are about 7–7.5 millimetres in length and 3.5 millimetres in width. Adults have four distinct black lines against a background color ranging from green to yellow, with an orange head and prominent, dark red eyes. Nymphs grow rapidly through five instars, with wing pads growing at each molt. Nymphs are a bright red color with black markings, except for the last instar which is bright orange.
Behavior
This species has only one generation per year. They overwinter in the egg stage, hatching in mid to late spring. Both sexes mate within six weeks after hatching. The timing of egg hatch and development varies. In southern Pennsylvania the eggs hatched from mid to late April, with adults being seen by late May. In the northern part of the same state, the development was 1–3 weeks later. This is also true elsewhere: in the city of Lafayette in Indiana, the development was 2–3 weeks earlier than it was in Ithaca, New York.
Habitat
The species can be found on all kinds of plants, including wild Hydrangea and various shrubs. The shrub variety for these species is diverse, it can range from forsythia to sumac. They feed on different perennials, and vegetables. Both larvae and adults feed on leaves creating the translucent patches of leaf tissues that may later fall out to produce tiny holes. The nymphs cause the majority of plant damage.References:
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