There is one generation per year, adults mate and lay eggs in spring. Young nymphs look different in appearance to adults. They are heavily spined, less uniform in coloration and have disproportionately large antennae compared to their body size. Older nymphs look more like adults with a more uniform speckled brown.
Young nymphs can be found from July until September feeding on leaves and fruits of plants in the dock family. The nymphs pass through five instars before they mature to adults in early autumn. They preferentially feed on seeds.