This moth has a wingspan of approximately 7/8 inch. The body is brown with white crossbands. The wings are brown with wide, white curved lines through the middle of the forewings and hindwings. The forewing also has a wide, white line from the leading edge to mid-wing. The wings have brown and white checkered fringes.
In some years this moth can be very common in the fall. In 2016 as many as 20 were seen nectaring on Mountain Mint in the Wetlands Insect Garden in October. In that year they were also seen in early November nectaring on Goldenrod and coming to lights at Fontenelle Forest Nature Center.
This moth was formerly placed in the Pyralidae family. The larva is approximately 1 inch in length. It is brownish-green with sparse white hairs. It has pale yellow sides and bottom, and a pink head. The larval foodplants are Chenopodium species (Lambs’ Quarters and Mapleleaf Goosefoot) as well as beets, chard and spinach.
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