The forewings of this species are basically brown but individuals vary greatly in tone from drab light brown to much richer reddish tones. They are usually marked with two dark
fascia and a small discal spot but these features can be faint or almost absent. The hindwings are lighter buffish brown. The
wingspan is 46–50 mm, the males being usually larger and broader-winged than the females. Prout describes the aberrations The females tend to be rather sluggish but the males fly actively at night and are attracted to light. The species is on the wing from September to November . The egg is olive-green with a ring of pale specks round the micropylar end; laid in a cluster on a twig, hibernating.The
caterpillar is hairless, brown or purplish grey with ochreous spots and purplish grey with ochreous spots with reddish anal points.It is twig-like and reaches a length of up to 50 mm. It can be found from May to July feeding mainly at night on a variety of
trees and
shrubs (see list below). The species overwinters as an
egg. •
The flight season refers to the British Isles. This may vary in other parts of the range. ==Distribution==