David Woodfall / Purple emperor butterfly (Apatura iris) male basking on ground. Knepp Rewildling Estate, Sussex, England, UK.

David Woodfall / Purple emperor butterfly (Apatura iris) male on field maple hedge. Knepp Rewildling Estate, Sussex, England, UK.

David Woodfall / Purple emperor butterfly (Apatura iris) female with closed wings. Knepp Rewildling Estate, West Sussex, England, UK.

David Woodfall / Purple emperor butterfly (Apatura iris) male puddling. Knepp Wildland Project, formerly intensive farmland now turned to conservation and sustainable farming. Horsham, West Sussex. England, UK. June

David Woodfall / Purple emperor butterfly (Apatura iris) female on rose bush. Knepp Wildland Project, formerly intensive farmland now turned to conservation and sustainable farming. Horsham, West Sussex. England, UK....

David Woodfall / Purple emperor butterfly (Apatura iris) female on rose bush. Knepp Wildland Project, formerly intensive farmland now turned to conservation and sustainable farming. Horsham, West Sussex. England, UK....

David Woodfall / Purple emperor butterfly (Apatura iris) male puddling. Knepp Wildland Project, formerly intensive farmland now turned to conservation and sustainable farming. Horsham, West Sussex. England, UK. June

David Woodfall / Purple emperor butterfly (Apatura iris) male on Goat willow (Salix caprea). Knepp Wildland Project, formerly intensive farmland now turned to conservation and sustainable farming. Horsham, West Sussex...

David Woodfall / Purple emperor butterfly (Apatura iris ) male on Oak leaf. Knepp Wildland Project, formerly intensive farmland now turned to conservation and sustainable farming. Horsham, West Sussex. England, UK. Ju...

Kim Taylor / Purple emperor butterfly (Apatura iris) male on birch showing coiled proboscis. Surrey, England, UK, June.

MYN / Dirk Funhoff / Purple emperor butterfly (Apatura iris) showing irridescence on one wing due to angle of view, Mannheim, Germany. June.

Jussi Murtosaari / Purple emperor butterfly (Apatura iris), female on the ground, Finland

Jussi Murtosaari / Purple emperor butterfly (Apatura iris), male on a leaf, Finland, August.

Lorraine Bennery / Purple emperor butterfly (Apatura iris) male puddling, Haute-Marne, France, June.

MYN / Dirk Funhoff / Purple emperor butterfly (Apatura iris) pupa, Mannheim, Germany. Meetyourneighbours.net project.

MYN / Dirk Funhoff / Purple emperor butterfly (Apatura iris) pupa, Mannheim, Germany. Meetyourneighbours.net project.

MYN / Dirk Funhoff / Purple emperor butterfly (Apatura iris) adult showing underwing, Mannheim, Germany. Meetyourneighbours.net project.

MYN / Dirk Funhoff / Purple emperor butterfly (Apatura iris) adult, Mannheim, Germany. Meetyourneighbours.net project.

MYN / Dirk Funhoff / Purple emperor butterfly (Apatura iris) caterpillar with silk, Lorsch, Hessen, Germany. Meetyourneighbours.net project.

MYN / Dirk Funhoff / Purple emperor butterfly (Apatura iris) caterpillar, Lorsch, Hessen, Germany. May. Meetyourneighbours.net project

Jussi Murtosaari / Purple Emperor butterfly (Apatura iris) female on ground, South Karelia, southern Finland, July.

Jussi Murtosaari / Purple Emperor butterfly (Apatura iris) male puddling on ground, South Karelia, southern Finland, July.

Jussi Murtosaari / Purple Emperor butterfly (Apatura iris) male puddling, South Karelia, southern Finland, July.