June to July. Common to Great Britain except in the far north where it is more local.

An invariable species with straw coloured wings sometimes strongly tinged with reddish brown. The leading forewing edges are a dark brown with a dark kidney mark. At rest the wings are tightly folded around the body so the moth closely resembles a piece of broken stem or twig.

The adults are attracted to light and flowers. The larvae feed at night between July and October and then overwinter as pupae underground.