It is found throughout temperate regions of the Palearctic realm, from Ireland east to Siberia and Japan.

Forewing pale ash grey, suffused with olive brown; a black streak from base below cell, with a pale costal blotch above it; claviform stigma dark, followed by an ochreous white patch at base of vein 2; orbicular stigma whitish, with grey centre, forming with the pale patch beyond claviform and a large pale blotch on inner, margin beyond outer line a kind of oblique pale bar; reniform with lower lobe blackish, followed by a fulvous tinge; submarginal line strongly dentate, the teeth on 3 and 4 reaching margin; hindwing whitish grey, the veins and termen darker.

from Amurland is more delicate in the outline of wing, reddish grey, with the markings less distinct.

[1] Lacanobia w-latinum is distinguished by the following characteristics: wingspan usually larger (36 to 41 millimeters);postdiscal region broadly grey, ring blemishes usually filled with grey-brown; yellow-white oblique blotch to the inner angle is missing; W signs in the wavy line stronger and arrow spots weaker;hind wings slightly darker in colour.

The larva mainly feed on a wide variety of various trees, bushes and herbaceous plants: Betulaceae, Umbelliferae, Ranunculaceae, Cruciferae, Salicaceae, Dennstaedtiaceae, Crassulaceae, Urticaceae, Ericaceae, etc.