Both sexes migrate to hill-tops or ridges where courtship and copulation take place. After copulation they return to their usual habitat at altitudes between sea level and about 600 m above.
In Central Europe there is a single generation per year. The eggs are laid singly on the upper side of leaves of poplar trees and sallow. When mature, the larva is pale green, marked with pale diagonal lines on the sides, and is incredibly well camouflaged when at rest on sallow or poplar leaves. The pupa is equally well camouflaged and is suspended from beneath a leaf.