Wingspan 14 to 23 mm.

Frequenting chalk and limestone habitats.

There are two generations, flying in June, and again in August and September.

The larvae feed on the crowns and flowerheads of Ploughman's Spikenard (Inula conyzae), the second brood overwintering in the larval stage.

A local species, until fairly recently restricted to a few south coastal localities, but has gradually increased its range northwards so there are now colonies in the Midlands and as far north as South Yorkshire. In the Butterfly Conservation's Microlepidoptera Report 2011 this species was classified as local.

Occasional in Leicestershire and Rutland. L&R Moth Group status = C (very scarce resident or rare migrant).