Apatura species
Apatura ilia
Apatura ilia
Lesser purple Emperor
Lesser purple Emperor
China
M A1 £ 5
M A1 £ 5
Apatura iris amurensis
Apatura iris amurensis
Purple emperor
Purple emperor
Russia
This lovely butterfly lives in the tree canopy of dense oak forests. Unlike most temperate butterflies it feeds on honeydew from aphids , as well as tree sap and rotting carcasses.
The eggs are laid on Sallow and poplar leaves in late summer.
Numbers are declining in Western Europe