It’s that time of the year when the UK’s most sought after butterfly is out and about. The Purple Emperor (Apatura iris) is not that rare but due to its habits and habitat not that easy see. The Emperor otherwise known as HIM (His Imperial Majesty) or Iris dwells in woodland. Not that unusual for a butterfly, however they spend most of their lives in the canopy. Unlike other species Iris does not nectar on flowers, no it prefers delicacies such as dead animals or poo! This is the second largest of our butterflies and the beautiful colour of the male is only seen when the light catches it just right, it’s called refraction.

On the 17th I headed out on a six hour round trip to their stronghold the legendary Fermyn Woods part of the ancient Rockingham Forest in Northamptonshire. It was hot, very hot, high 20’s C. Arrived early at 8am and spent the next four hours wandering the rides. I had ten sightings but few came to ground and if they did it was only for seconds. I found one feeding on moss and eased it onto my finger where it licked the sweat for several minutes.
Sadly I got no images of the open wings though to be fair I have had many in past years. One species that was quite noticeable was the tiny Purple Hairstreak (Favonius quercus). This butterfly lives almost it’s entire life in the tops of Oak trees and feeds on the honeydew produced by aphids. On Saturday many were at low level and some came and searched for minerals on the paths.

Today (19th) I again went in search of Emperors. This time it was local just 20 miles to Foxley Wood. For the past two years Iris has been reported, would I be lucky? You bet! Just a few yards along the main ride and I had my first sighting as one cruised around a big Oak. Further on and two more were searching Sallows for newly emerged females (the caterpillars eat Sallow leaves and pupates on the tree). As the temperatures rose to mid 20’s I saw a few more and then bingo! One came down on the ground to gather minerals. For several minutes it paraded around flashing off it’s regal sheen. This butterfly was last recorded in Norfolk in 1961. Then around five years ago a few sightings were reported a few miles away from Foxley. Now they are back and breeding and I no longer need to travel half way across the Country!


What an awesome butter! As with many of them, the beauty is on their open wings and was hoping to see a shot of the top of this one – didn’t disappoint further down in the post as it looks quite regal. Great shot on the finger – would not have guessed it would be that tolerant of a human by it – they scatter if I come anywhere close to one here and that ones reads as much rarer. A truly successful quest(s) you had there B! Fine work.
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Thanks B. Yes when they are in the mood they will tolerate people, it was difficult getting this ‘selfie’ I didn’t know my arm could stretch that far!
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“His Imperial Majesty” really is a well deserved moniker!
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It certainly is Dries, not just the colour but it’s whole attitude especially to other butterflies.
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How very lovely! I agree with “His Imperial Majesty” what a magnificent color 🙂
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Gorgeous they certainly are, thanks for popping by.
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Fabulous looking butterflies and well captured Brian! I can’t say I’ve seen either around here (though I have seen the Lesser Purple Emperor back in 2019). I’ll have to check out their distribution. 😊
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They are quite scarce in your Country Mike. You need a broad leaf wood with lots of Sallow.
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I checked out my local ‘guide’ (i.e. his website – which I’ve recently noticed has changed – for the better I think, but it takes some getting used to) that it should be found almost anywhere ‘en Suisse’ – except the lumpy bits. So I’ll have to keep a sharp eye out for it when I go down into the valley. See here: https://lepido.ch/espece/grand-mars-changeant/
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Yep get down in the woody bits! Mind you they only come to ground for the first couple of weeks after emergence (usually late June/early July)
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P.S. Seems I saw a Water Pipit today, according to my BirdNET app (which was “almost certain” of the id).
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Well they do breed in the Alps so there’s a good chance it was. Some overwinter over here especially on our coast and marshes.
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The splendid Apatura iris is getting more and more common in Finland too.
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That’s great to hear!
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HIM is a fabulous beast. I’ve never seen one, though I’ve heard they may be seen in the woods on Wenlock Edge. Almost worth a trek up a hot hillside to go and look.
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Certainly worth seeking out Tish. Best early to mid July when they may come to ground, after this they, er, have other things on their mind!
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Thanks for the tip, Brian. I may have missed the moment this year then.
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Possibly but you can never tell with nature.
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The blue color on those Emperors is so vivid! Beautiful!
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They are very special Hien and the colour can vary from electric blue to deep purple.
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Wow! What a gorgeous butterfly! How lucky you are to have the “touch” that it allows you let it hangout on your finger. Thanks for sharing.
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Don’t tell anyone CJ but I used super glue! No just joking, it’s a lovely moment.
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😂
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You had a great outing and luck with the butterflies! I love that Imperial Blue one.
How exciting that one butterfly actually got on your finger and stayed long enough for a photo at least!!
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It’s always a special moment when a butterfly trusts you enough to settle on you, even more so when it’s an Emperor!
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😀
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Great series of images! Enjoyed seeing them!
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Cheers Reed.
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Wow! What a great colour!
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Rather special isn’t it Simone!
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Wow, these are beautiful Butterflies! Stunning images, Brian👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
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Thank You Greta. I am sure you must have them in your woods also?
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I would have never expected the blue color based on your first photo showing the wings’ undersides. Very cool. And even cooler that one of them spent some time on your finger!
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It’s quite amazing how the colouring flashes across the wings as the butterfly turns going from black to electric blue. Thanks for viewing Tanja.
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It sounds and looks like a magical creature. 🙂
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Brilliant. I’ve never seen His Imperial Majesty, and while I’ve considered for several years taking a trip to Fermyn Woods, the prospect of driving several hours and not getting a decent view (or maybe any view at all) isn’t very appealing. The good news is it’s rumoured that they may be spreading into the southern tip of our county (Derbyshire). So maybe I’ll be lucky next year?
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Closer to you is the place you visited a little while ago Sherwood Forest. Go early in the flight season to Fermyn, around early July, and they are almost guaranteed on the ground in Lady/Souther Wood. Good hunting if you give it a try.
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Didn’t know that, thank you! I feel a return visit coming on next year.
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An absolute stunner.
Well done that man!
I really admire your dedication and enthusiasm, Mister B to drive so far to capture these beauties.
I feel more than a little spoiled that I usually only have to walk out to the garden.
A pleasure to see these as it is cold enough to freeze the balls of a brass monkey down here and not a butterfly in sight at the moment.
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Some call it dedication and enthusiasm others think it’s just a bit weird. I like to make a day of it and there is always so much more to see.
I do envy your garden. We have had a few butterflies in our new spot and about half a dozen species of birds, it’s the pond that gives it interest with the dragonflies.
Wrap up well, never imagine SA as a cold place.
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Was minus three last night!
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Great find B
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Congratulations Brian, both on the pictures as well as your determination
Keep up the good work, best Sven
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Thanks for popping by Sven and the nice comment.
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An interesting post and amazing to see the refracted colour.
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Many thanks, yes that colour can be quite brilliant from electric blue to deep purple.
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I so enjoyed the adventure of the Purple Emperor, Brian. Hearing about your trek to where you had a good possibility of seeing them, and your determination was great. Seeing the first photo, yes, what a pretty butterfly. Then we see what they look like with the wings open and OMG. That royal purple is astounding. I have never seen a butterfly with that color. Really special.
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Thank you for dropping by Jet and the comment. It’s always worth a little bit of effort to see something as spectacular as the Emperor. Out of our 58 species of butterfly nothing comes close to that amazing colour refraction. It reminds me a little bit of some of those rain forest beauties.
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Wow! I can see why you wanted to get a picture of the Purple Emperor – what a beautiful butterfly!
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It certainly is Kim, always worth the effort.
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Thanks for stopping by my blog and mentioning your Purple Emperor — what a stunning butterfly! And it’s such fun to ‘meet’ new nature blogging friends from across the pond. 🙂
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I agree Kim, I always like checking out blogs from around the world it’s great to see the diversity in nature and dream that one day I might see these creatures in the flesh.
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Terrific find!
Your fabulous photographs really showcase why this is a much sought-after species. Simply beautiful!
And, for you, good news that it can be found closer to home!
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Good news indeed Wally, it will save a fortune in petrol costs! Sadly the Emperor season is now drawing to a close but there’s always next year!
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Unfortunately this beautiful and regal butterfly avoids the unsuitable territory of the Pennines like the plague. I have never seen one of them here.
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Not that far north Jill, their limit at the moment is the Lincolnshire Wolds and Sherwood Forest.
Thanks for popping by.
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