They are polyphagous in herbaceous plants, mainly feeding on Carduus nutans (hence the specific name) and Silybum marianum, as well as on Salvia, Urtica and Cirsium species.
They are polyphagous in various species of herbaceous plants and deciduous trees, mainly feeding on Corylus avellana, Carpinus betulus, Fagus sylvatica, Acer campestre, Sambucus racemosa, as well as on Alnus, Crataegus, Rosa, Quercus species.
The larvae are probably polyphagous and have been reared on Taraxacum and Poa species.
These larvae are polyphagous, feeding on various shrubs and deciduous trees, mainly oak (Quercus), elm (Ulmus), Linden (Tilia), hazel (Corylus), maples (Acer) and ash (Fraxinus).
They are polyphagous in coniferous trees (mainly feeding on Pinus sylvestris, Pinus mugo and Pinus nigra, but also on Picea abies and Abies or Larix species).
Adults and larvae are vegetarian and polyphagous, on grasses such as couch-grass (Elymus repens), false oat-grass (Arrhenatherum elatius) and reed canary-grass (Phalaris arundinacea).
The larvae are polyphagous, they feed a large variety of leaves including Zantedeschia aethiopica, Impatiens balsamina (Balsaminaceae), Vigna sp.
The nocturnal larvae are polyphagous, feeding on the leaves of a variety of woody and herbaceous plants, mainly Sorbus, Quercus robur, Salix, Corylus avellana, Stellaria, Filipendula ulmaria, Alnus glutinosa, Rubus and Populus.
Larvae are polyphagous in dead branches of deciduous trees (Quercus, Castanea, Robinia, Juglans, Prunus, Salix, Pistacia, etc.