Wings are dark brown or blackish with few light areas. Underside of hindwing has a cobwebbed appearance due to white spots extending along the veins. Subspecies licinus in Texas and Arkansas is very dark both above and below.
Females lay eggs singly on or near the host plants.
Caterpillars eat leaves and live in nests of rolled or tied leaves. Fully-grown caterpillars hibernate. One brood from late March to early June. Dry, grassy openings in woods, pine barrens, oak savannah, open sandy scrub, burned areas, old pastures. G4 - Apparently secure globally, though it might be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.