Description: Wingspan 32-38 mm. Forewings are dark orange brown with darker brown anterior and postmedial lines. Subterminal line is indistinct. The reniform stigmata is S-shaped and partially coloured white. Hindwings are light fuscous with darker veining. End of June to mid-September.

World Distribution: Western Europe from Scandinavia to Spain.

Irish Distribution: Widely distributed but local. Most of the records are from Down at well-trapped sites including Helen's Bay, Murlough National Nature Reserve, Castlewellan Forest Park, Rostrevor Oakwood National Nature Reserve and Belvoir Park. It has also recently been taken at Crom Estate and Garvary Wood, Fermanagh. It is absent from most of the north with the exception of Rathlin Island, Antrim and the Umbra, Londonderry.

Ecology: Mainly associated with woodland margins and clearings, although it has been recorded from other habitats including suburban gardens in the Greater Belfast area. Adults are attracted to light and will also visit flowers including privet Ligustrum spp., campion Silene spp., Ragwort Senecio jacobae and Red Valerian Centranthus ruber. The larvae feed from autumn to April on various species of grasses including Cock's-foot Dactylis glomerata and Common Couch Elytrigia repens. It overwinters as a larva.

Key Identification Features:

• White S-shaped mark on forewings
• Darker crosslines
• Light-coloured hindwings

Distribution Map from NBN: Mythimna conigera at National Biodiversity Network mapping facility, data for UK.

iNaturalist: Mythimna conigera at iNaturalist World Species Observations database.