I coupled together four photos to show the lifecycle of this very common, and very attractive, day-flying moth. In the top left, you can see the female laying eggs on a goldenrod leaf. Top right, the two rows of eggs. Bottom left, the caterpillar that would have emerged from the eggs (this is a later instar... like all caterpillars, the Ctenucha caterpillar goes through several instars, growing larger with each one, before pupating. The caterpillar that emerges from the eggs is very tiny). Bottom right, you can see the freshly emerged adult clinging to the pupal case.