Forewing olive grey or olive rufous, or olive fuscous; median and marginal areas sometimes deeper coloured, otherwise the 3 lines are undefined; stigmata pale, especially the reniform, which at base is white, emitting a ray basewards along the median vein, and two externally along veins 3 and 4; claviform elongate; orbicular flattened; hindwing dark fuscous grey, with the basal area pale, sometimes whitish; the fringe white; - in the form
tricuspis male Esp. the reniform with its trifid lower end is more strongly developed than usual; - of this
obsoleta Tutt is only an extreme form in which the other markings are obsolete; -
rufocosta Tutt is a grey form with red costal streak, from the Hebrides; -in
hibernicus Curt. the base of cell of forewing bears a pale, elongated, sometimes forked patch; - in albipuncta Sven the white lower end of reniform is entire, without pale ramification: -
gramineus Haw. has all the veins whitish, the intervals dark olive, without any rufous mixture, the stigmata and base of cell more conspicuously pale: the submarginal line prominently pale and dentate along the veins, the teeth alternating with the dark teeth of the marginal area: this is the commoner form in the North of Britain, of which the form
pallida Tutt is evidently an extreme development, the pale claviform, median vein, and two upper stigmata coalescing to form a broad white band from base; -
grisea Spul. from N. Germany is a grey form with the median area well-defined, and may be only an offshoot of
graminis [
gramineis in text], which is not much known on the continent. This moth often flies during the day, especially in warm weather, and is attracted to a range of
flowers. It also flies at night and is attracted to light. The adults are on the wing from July to September. ==Life cycle==