Wingspan 21-23mm. A fairly plain browny-white moth with a dark mark on the wings.

Grassland and scrub where Thistles are present, also known to enjoy coastal locations.

The adults are found on the wing during June and July.

The life history is incompletely known but it is thought to feed on various Thistles

Formerly an infrequent species, of which there are relatively few records. It was first found in 1957 in a Huntingdonshire fen. It has since increased its range and become much more frequent. In the Butterfly Conservation's Microlepidoptera Report 2011 this species was classified as common.

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