Forewing upperside is brown with black transverse lines throughout. Hindwing upperside is white with a black outer margin and black at the base. When the afternoon wind stirs up, the moths move to more sheltered basking sites. Females deposit eggs singly or in pairs on the underside of host leaves.
Young caterpillars eat flowers, while older caterpillars eat flowers and new leaves.
Fully-grown caterpillars pupate in burrows near the soil surface. One brood from February-April. Walker Basin in Kern County, southern California. Eggs laid on this weed hatch but the caterpillars do not survive. Develop propagation techniques and establish at least three additional colonies in appropriate habitat.