Upperside is glossy black with small white spots on outer third of forewing. Female has more white spots on the forewing than the male, and a submarginal row of spots on the hindwing. Near midday, females lay eggs singly on the tops of host plant leaves.
Caterpillars live and feed within shelters of folded leaves.
Caterpillars of the second brood overwinter in their silk-lined leaf shelters and pupate within them in the spring. Central United States south to central Mexico. Strays and colonizes to southern British Columbia, northern Michigan, southern Quebec, and southern Maine. Does not occur in peninsular Florida. G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.