As with other insects that feed on milkweed, the older caterpillars are aposematically colored. The larvae sequester cardiac glycosides and, in the later instars, are covered with long hairs, rendering them largely unpalatable to insectivorous birds.
Eggs are laid in large batches on the underside of the plant.
The small caterpillars feed on the softer tissue of the plant that lies between the veins.
The small caterpillars appeared not to tolerate the close proximity of their siblings, swinging their heads from side to side to clear a path ahead of them.
Later instars become whole-leaf feeders, sequestering the toxins concentrated in the veins.
The earlier instars cluster together on mats of silk spun on the leaves they feed on.
