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| UK Status |
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| Resident |
A species which is continually Resident in the UK with stable breeding populations. |
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| Migrant |
A species which occurs as a Migrant in the UK. It may be able to breed here although they are usually unable to survive our winter months. Migrants are normally reported in the UK every year. |
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| Rare Migrant |
A species which occurs as a Rare Migrant in the UK. It may able to breed here although they are usually unable to survive our winter months. Rare Migrants may not be seen for many years. |
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| Extinct |
A species which is Extinct in the UK, usually as a result of habitat loss. |
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| Introduction |
A species which ocurs in the UK as an accidental introduction. |
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Description
Probably the most magnificent butterfly to be seen in Britain the Purple Emperor is an enigmatic butterfly and is the second largest in Britain... only the Swallowtail being larger. It is rarely seen unless a special effort is made to find it although there are some key sites in the UK where those interested in butterflies make a pilgrimage to see this species.
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 of woodland in central-southern England where it feeds on aphid honeydew and sap runs. They never visit flowers to feed. It is often seen soaring in circles and can be confused with White Admirals. Adult butterflies are extremely elusive and occur in low numbers over large areas. The males sometimes occur on the ground feeding on salts either from path and road surfaces or from animal dung. To see the Purple Emperor on the ground normally requires an early start... they are often seen on clear warm sunny days as early as 8am but can also be seen late in the afternoon / early evening.
The males are known to travel more than 1000 metres from their breeding areas, gathering in what are known as master trees (usually mature Oaks, but Beech, Aspen and Conifers are sometimes used) where the males compete for females which are seen less often. After mating, the females disperse to lay their eggs.
Habitat
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.
Larval Food Plants
Goat Willow (Salix caprea) also known as Sallow or Pussy Willow is the primary larval foodplant although Grey Willow (Salix cinerea) and Crack Willow (Salix fragilis) is also used.
The Purple Emperor lays its eggs on a wide range of tree sizes. The eggs are laid singly on the upperside on the leaves of broad-leaved sallows which are preferred to narrow-leaved varieties. |
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| Stock Photography Library |
| We have 24 photographs of the Purple Emperor in the British Butterflies photo library |
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BB1850 - Purple Emperor
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BB1849 - Purple Emperor
DSC_6152.JPG
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BB1848 - Purple Emperor
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BB1847 - Purple Emperor
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BB1846 - Purple Emperor
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BB1845 - Purple Emperor
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BB1844 - Purple Emperor
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BB1843 - Purple Emperor
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| Population Trends |
| species status |
the Purple Emperor is a resident species in Britain |
| population trend1 |
(1995-2004)  up by 33% |
(1976-2004)  down by -18% |
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1Fox, R., Asher. J., Brereton. T., Roy, D & Warren, M.
(2006) The State of Butterflies in Britain & Ireland, Pices, Oxford. |
| UK Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) Status |
| UK BAP status2 |
species of conservation concern (link) |
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| 2 For more information about the UK Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) species status, visit www.ukbap.org.uk. |
| IUCN Category Status |
| IUCN category3 |
 near threatened4 |
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3 Fox, R., Warren, M & Brereton, T.
(2007) New Red List of British Butterflies. Butterfly Conservation, Wareham.
4 More information about IUCN categories available here. |
| Find Out More Online* |
| More information about the Purple Emperor can be found on Peter Eeles excellent UK Butterflies web site. |
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Aberrations and Forms |
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| We currently know of 8 named aberrant forms of the Purple Emperor. More information about aberrants can be found here. |
 ab. chattendeni - Heslop & Stockley (1961) |
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| ab. deschangei - Cabeau (1910) |
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| ab. iolata - Cabeau (1910) |
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| ab. iole - [Denis & Schiffermüller] (1775) |
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| ab. lugenda - Cabeau (1910) |
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| ab. monophana - Cabeau (1919) |
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| ab. obscura - Sälzl (1916) |
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| ab. stictica - Cabeau (1910) |
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| References |
| The information on this web site comes from a variety of freely available resources including books, academic reports and web sites alongside my own personal observations of butterflies. The species descriptions are currently in the process of being edited (spring 2009) to include new data, recent personal observations and referencing following a major update to the site.
A complete list of references mentioned in the text on this web site is available here. |
| * External Links Disclaimer |
| This web site includes links to information provided by external web sites which are not in any way under the control of www.britishbutterflies.co.uk. We cannot, therefore, be held responsible for the content of external web pages. |
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70-92mm
