Head ochreous brown; forewing ground colour golden to reddish brown; white pattern consisting of a straight basal streak, not edged; a yellowish or pure white patch on dorsum near the base; a transversal band finely edged with brown scales; three costal and two dorsal striae, all finely edged with brown scales; a dot of black scales in the apical area.

Light yellowish green with a light brown head capsule. A conspicuous orange-brown patch on the 6th abdominal segment.

A rather small, semi-circular, tentiform mine on the underside of a leaf, later growing into an elongated mine situated between two secondary veins. One to six longitudinal folds. On the upper side, the mine is visible as a brown patch. The frass is concentrated in a corner of the mine.
See also gracillariidae.net and bladmineerders.be.

The last instar of the summer generation makes a loose, whitish spinning, to separate the later pupa from the heap of frass. The last instar of the autumn generation spins a very tough, brown cocoon. Pupa dark brown to black.

Sometimes many mines on the same leaf. The species hibernates in the pupal stage, between leaf litter on the ground. After the emergence of the adult, the pupal skin protrudes from the mine.

The species lives on Betula, mainly on Betula pendula, but also on B. pubescens.

Mainly on sandy soil, but the species occurs everywhere where Betula species are planted: parks, gardens, road sides, etc.