Also the northern parts of North America (coast to coast in Canada, south in east to Virginia and the Great Lakes states) ( a Holarctic distribution).

Forewing pale grey, more or less suffused with dark grey; a black streak from base below cell; stigmata large, grey, with black outlines, the cell dark: inner and outer lines filled in with whitish; submarginal line formed of large black and white teeth; hindwing fuscous, the fringe white.

[1] It has been suggested, based partly on pupal remains in peat, that outbreaks of this species played a role in the collapse of Norse settlements in Greenland.

Larva brown, darker-mottled: dorsal and subdorsal lines yellowish; spiracular white; a series of oblique lateral dark stripes; on various low plants.

The larvae feed on Myrica gale, Vaccinium, birch, willow and other herbaceous plants.