It is found throughout Europe then east across the Palearctic to Armenia, western Siberia and Amur, Korea and Japan.

This species has creamy-buff forewings (sometimes tinged with red) with black streaking along the costa.

Unusually for a noctuid, this moth rests with its wings wrapped tightly around its body making it resemble a broken twig.

Forewing ochreous, the costal area, including cell, dark brown; dark brown patches at the outer margin on both folds, the upper connected with outer line by a dark double streak; inner line strongly angulated; outer represented by a double row of vein-dashes: orbicular and reniform stigmata with dark centres and rings; the former small and round, more rarely flattened: the latter large; hindwing whitish, variably suffused with grey; — the form triseriata Moore, originally described from N. India, but occurring in Japan and Korea as well, is larger and darker.

[1] The larva is grey or brown with black markings and a hump at the rear end.