Upperside of hindwing is gray with red at the base which may spread over the whole wing. Forewing has a small white cell spot, hindwing has a larger black spot. The following evening the female lays her eggs. Young caterpillars perch on the undersides of petioles and feed on the leaf bases. Older caterpillars cut through petioles partway and bend down the leaves in order to feed on them.
Caterpillars pupate and overwinter in shallow burrows in the ground.
Oak woodland, shrubland, and thornscrub. G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery. The moths of America north of Mexico, fasc. E. W. Classey Limited and R. B. D. Publications Inc., Middlesex, England. Peigler, R. S. and P. A. Opler. 1993.