The Burdock Borer has a wingspan of 1 1/8 – 1 3/4 inches. The forewing is yellow with brown shading and two rows of yellow patches. The postmedian line is sharply bent near the leading edge. The outer band is gray with brownish-yellow patches. The hindwing is plain yellow with brownish shading.
The Burdock Borer is common in this area in the fall. It has been photographed in Fontenelle Forest in early October.
The host plants are burdock, aster, corn, iris, lily, Eupatorium species, sunflowers and other plants. Larvae develop as borers in the roots, rhizomes and stems of the host plants. Eggs are laid in summer to fall and hatch the next spring. They pupate in summer and the adult moths emerge later that summer and fall.