Tuesday, 7 September, 2010 homebutterfliesmothseventspressrecordingprojectsreservemembershipmagazinedownloadaboutcontactlinks Butterflies of Warwickshire, Coventry and Solihull Purple Emperor Apatura iris Probably the most magnificent butterfly to be seen in Britain, the Purple Emperor is an enigmatic butterfly and is the second largest in Britain. The deep purple colouration of the male Purple Emperor is a result of light refraction by ridges on the wing scales. It is only visible from certain angles depending upon the direction of light. The females lack this colouration being primarily dark grey-brown but with larger eye spots towards the rear of the hind wings. Both sexes have a broken flash of white across the forewings. The underside has a large eyespot used to deter predators. It flies high in the tree-tops where it feeds on aphid honeydew and sap runs. They never visit flowers to feed but are often seen feeding on the ground on animal faeces, carrion or salts left as puddles evaporate. The males are known to travel more than 1000 metres from their breeding areas, gathering in what are known as master trees where the males compete for females which are seen less often. Larval Food plants Goat Willow (Salix caprea) Grey Willow (Salix cinerea) Crack Willow (Salix fragilis) Habitat Requirements The Purple Emperor occurs in expansive broad-leaved woodland or in areas where there are clusters of smaller wooded areas where the larval foodplant is abundant. Warwickshire Status Resident Where to see the Purple Emperor Ryton Wood (WWT Reserve) Other Species Please select an alternative species from the list below. Bath White Black Hairstreak Black-veined White Brimstone Brown Argus Brown Hairstreak Camberwell Beauty Chalkhill Blue Chequered Skipper Clouded Yellow Comma Common Blue Dappled White Dark Green Fritillary Dingy Skipper Duke of Burgundy Essex Skipper Gatekeeper Geranium Bronze Green Hairstreak Green-veined White Grizzled Skipper High Brown Fritillary Holly Blue Large Skipper Large Tortoiseshell Large White Long-tailed Blue Map Marbled White Marsh Fritillary Mazarine Blue Meadow Brown Orange-tip Painted Lady Pale Clouded Yellow Peacock Pearl-bordered Fritillary Purple Emperor Purple Hairstreak Red Admiral Ringlet Silver-studded Blue Silver-washed Fritillary Small Blue Small Copper Small Heath Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary Small Skipper Small Tortoiseshell Small White Speckled Wood Swallowtail Wall Brown White Admiral White-letter Hairstreak Wood White © Steven Cheshire - Northamptonshire First Sightings First sighting dates are based on records of Purple Emperor submitted online. Please note that these dates are not updated retrospectively to include records submitted to the branch recorder in other forms. 29/06/2010 - Oversley Wood 24/06/2009 - Oversley Wood 04/07/2008 - Bull & Butcher Wood and Princethorpe Great Wood 29/06/2007 - Ryton Wood © Steven Cheshire - Northamptonshire   © Keith Warmington - Ryton Wood, Warwickshire Adult Flight Times The flight chart below is based on observations of the adult Purple Emperor in Warwickshire between 2005 and 2008. Peak periods are shown in dark green. Warwickshire Distribution Maps base on Vice County (CV38) which includes Coventry and Solihull Distribution of the Purple Emperor during the indicated period. Key to Warwickshire Maps: sightings 12-910+       2007 Distribution Data (1yr)   2008 available soon   2009 Distribution Data (1yr)   2000-09 Distribution Data (10yr) © Butterfly Conservation WarwickshirePrivacy and Copyright Statement Butterfly Conservation is a non-profit-making company limited by guarantee, registered in England (2206468) Registered Office: Manor Yard, East Lulworth, Wareham, Dorset, BH20 5QP Charity registered in England & Wales (254937) and in Scotland (SCO39268)   Web site designed and maintained by Steven Cheshire