Male, Switzerland, July 2009
Male, Switzerland, July 2009
Male, June 2006, Oxfordshire
The same male viewed from a different angle
Female, Switzerland, August 2011
Same female, showing a glimpse of the upperside
Female, Switzerland, July 2011
Male, Val d'Aran, July 2000
Male, Val d'Aran, July 2004
Male, July 2005, Val d'Aran
Male, July 2005, Val d'Aran
Male, Val d'Aran, July 2001
Egg, Switzerland, August 2010
First instar caterpillar, August 2010
Detail from the same photo.
Third instar larva, September 2011, Switzerland
The same larva - just under 1cm long
The same larva, immediately prior to hibernation
The same larva, immediately after entering hibernation
Hibernating larva (taken with flash)
A caterpillar after hibernation - May 2010, Switzerland.
This individual is soon to shed his skin.
The caterpillar rests for the night on the mid-vein of the leaf. The picture shows the charactaristic nibbling to either side.
This is the same caterpillar a couple of days later, after shedding his/her skin
A more mature caterpillar, Switzerland, May 2010
Another caterpillar, Switzerland, May 2010
May 2010
A fully mature caterpillar, June 2010
A pupa, June 2010, Switzerland
Until 2005 I had never seen a female purple emperor. The males are far
easier to spot, as they come readily to carrion or carnivore droppings
- as well as to human sweat. Late in the season, though, when the
females have stopped laying, they may be found coming to ground rather
like males.
Although the species is not rare in much of Europe, it is always a
great pleasure to see. Only the male sports the blue, and only when
viewed at certain angles - hence the French name for the species : Le Grand Mars Changeant. The only species with which it can be confused is the lesser purple emperor,
which has a buff ring on the forwing. The two species often fly
together and I have a video (unfortunately, an analogue video, so I
cannot transfer the pictures to the computer) of both on the ground
together, going for the same bit of dung!
In the UK the species is generally considered rare. I have only seen it
in woods near Oxford, most recently in 2006 during the last week in
June.