The fore wings are ochreous brown till greyish brown, sometimes (when fresh) with a purplish shine. If there is a lighter costa-line, it is very indistinct. Sometimes there are lighter length lines with black stipples especially in the wing tip.
The antennae are ringed alternating dark brown and white, in seldom cases they are not ringed at all.
The wingspan is 9–14 mm.

The caterpillar makes a silken tubular case about 6–8 mm.
The mouth angle is 20–25°.
The case is greyish yellow with sand particles on it. There are also indistinct length lines. The case cannot reliably be distinguished from the one of C. saxicolella.
See also bladmineerders.be.

At first the caterpillar makes a very little mine.

The eggs are oviposited on a flower of the food plant. The young larvae make leaf mines in August. After making a little case the larvae live in the inflorescence, feeding on the developing fruits.
The larvae are fully grown in May of the second year.
Pupation takes place at ground level.

They live on Atriplex, or Chenopodium. In Belgium Chenopodium album is taken the most.