The Living Forest (330) : Purple Emperor (male)

The Living Forest (330) : Purple Emperor (male)

The magnificent Purple Emperor is undoubtedly a butterfly that is most admired and most sought after by butterfly watchers.

It is widely distributed in dense broadleaved woodlands throughout Central Europe and in suitably temperate parts of Asia, including central and western China.
In Belgium it’s a pretty rare appearance.

This butterfly spends nearly all its time high up in tree tops, though he will sometimes descend to feed, resulting in an occasional close encounter (yeah I know, I’m a lucky guy).

Unlike most other butterflies, the Purple Emperor does not feed on flowers but instead on honeydew secreted by aphids, on sap oozing from oaks, but also on dung, urine and animal carcasses !

Dutch name : Grote Weerschijnvlinder
German name : Grosser Schillerfalter
Latin name : Apatura iris

Location : Lac de l’Eau d’Heure at Silenrieux, Belgium.

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A big thanks to Vitória Castelo Santos for the nomination of this picture.