Wingspan 20–33mm, forewings with two more or less parallel pale fasciae that are white in the males and pale golden-fuscous in the less contrasting colored females. It has short antennae and no functioning mouthparts and therefore cannot feed.

The caterpillar is whitish grey and the skin is wrinkled. The shiny head is maroon-brown and, both dorsally and laterally, there are small gray-brown plates on the thoracal segments. The small stigmata are blackish.

Females of this species scatter their eggs over plants as they fly over them in a suitable biotope. The larva feeds on the roots and subterraneous stem parts of mainly Pteridium aquilinum. In the last instar, it feeds on young shoots at surface level. This species, hibernating twice as a larva, pupates in the ground. It is one of the few species where the males lure the females by spreading a pineapple-like odor.
The adults are active from dusk onwards and later come sparingly to light.

The larva feeds mainly in the roots of Pteridium aquilinum. Also Vaccinium spp. and sometimes other herbaceous plants or grasses are mentioned in literature.

This species occurs especially in open forests with an undergrowth of grasses, ferns or dwarf shrubs. It can also be found in thickets, heaths, and rugged grasslands.