This species usually has a dark area at the front of the thorax, visible as a horizontal bar when viewing the moth head on.

The differences are not consistent however; they are highly variable in both colour and markings, and identification of atypical or worn examples may prove impossible without examination of genitalia.

See Townsend et al.[1] This moth flies at night from May to July[1] and is attracted to light, sometimes in large numbers.

The larva The caterpillars are coloured grey-brown, paler ventrally and have a pale dorsal line and clearly recognizable black point warts.

On the cremaster sit two short curved thorns.Larvae feed on a variety of plants, both wild and cultivated (see list below).