Wingspan 14 to18 mm. A delicate little moth which has a silky sheen to the wings, and is more contrastingly marked than other white 'waves'.

Favours woodland habitat.

The adults fly from mid-May to July, sometimes with a partial second brood in August/September.

The caterpillars, which are marked with red and green, feed on a range of trees including birch and hazel.

It is distributed widely throughout much of Britain, though scarcer in Scotland. In a recent survey to determine the status of all macro moths in Britain this species was classified as common.

Fairly frequent but not common in Leicestershire and Rutland. L&R Moth Group status = B (scarce resident or restricted distribution or regular migrant).