The moth is larger, generally paler and more distinctly marked than the similar E. ericitana with which it shares the same foodplant.
Larvae feed in the roots and underground stems of marsh woundwort (Stachys palustris) in such places as damp meadows and hedgerows and probably riverbanks. It also occasionally feeds on spear mint (Mentha spicata).
The moth hides low in vegetation during the day but flies in the evening and later comes to light. It is generally distributed but local throughout most of Britain and Ireland.