Wingspan 36 to 40 mm. 

Occupying a range of suburban habitats, waste ground and ditches or riverbanks.

Adults are on the wing during September and October.

As the English name suggests, the main larval foodplant is Mallow (Malva sylvestris), but the caterpillars will also eat cultivated hollyhock (Alcea).

Distributed throughout England and Wales and into southern Scotland, this species is commoner in the south. It also occurs locally in Ireland. In a recent survey to determine the status of all macro moths in Britain this species was classified as common.