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Relatively small moths (wingspan is 12-17 mm) with different uniform colored forewings and gray hindwings. The colors of the forewings range from yellow, to orange to gray morphs, depending on the generation, but never show any patterns (Powell 1964). Summer forms are considered more yellow and orange, while the winter form (also called “Cinderella form”) is more grayish (Obraztsov 1963, Powell 1964). The males do not have a forewing costal fold (Chapman and Lienk 1971). Male genitalia of A. minuta can be distinguished from the relatively similar looking A. paracinderella by having wider developed “shoulders” on the tegumen and a comparatively less deeply excavated sacculus with a smaller, less rounded apical portion (Powell 1964).

The larvae tie the leaves together as they feed (Powell 1964, Schwarz et al. 1983). While in most localities it is common to have three to four generations of Acleris minuta, in northern regions only two generations occur. Acleris minuta overwinters as an adult in the gray color form. Flight activity starts in April and can last till June, depending on their geographic region (Schwarz et al. 1983).