Common on rough grassland and coastal sandhills throughout the British Isles, scarcer in the north. In Hampshire and on the Isle of Wight a local and uncommon species, but widely distributed, with no apparent population centre. Wingspan 17-24 mm. Whitish or greyish ochreous forms of this species can be confused with
A. unitana, but may usually be distinguished by the darker cilia of the forewing in both sexes, and by the orange-yellow suffusion on the head and thoracic region and on the basal area of the forewing, especially in the male [Bradley]; see also
Bilberry Tortrix A. viburnana. Larva feeds on various grasses and herbaceous plants, living within a spun or rolled leaf.