Wingspan 11–16 mm. Ground colour of the forewing dark brown, coarsely sprinkled with black and with lead-coloured markings at base and distal areas. A characteristic white band just before the middle of the forewing is narrow and often interrupted a little below the costa in the male whereas in the female it is broader and almost always complete. Hindwing dark brown with a paler fringe.

Head brownish yellow with blackish posterior margin. Prothoracic plate and thoracic legs dark brown or black. Abdomen yellowish green with pinacula dark brown or black. Body rough due to presence of microscopic small brown thorns.

The caterpillar can be found from April to June, folding down the edge of a leaf of the food plant and living within, eating the leave but leaving the upper surface intact, or gnawing neighbouring leaves. Sometimes spinning leaves together.
The pupa is made in the larval habitation or in a cocoon in the ground.
Adults are hiding during the day in dense vegetation. Males will fly in the afternoon sunshine and females appear in the dusk. Both sexes come to light.

The oligophagous larva feeds on various shrubs and herbaceous plants like Aquilegia vulgaris, Ficaria verna, Chrysoplenium, Mercurialis, Vaccinium, Hieracium, Plantago and Ranunculus, but especially on Ranunculus ficaria.