
White Admiral
This magnificent butterfly flies high in the tree-tops of well-wooded landscapes in central-southern England where it feeds on aphid honeydew and tree sap. The adults are extremely elusive and occur at low densities over large areas. The males occasionally descend to the ground, usually in mid-morning, where they probe for salts either from road surfaces or from animal dung.
The Purple Emperor declined steadily during the twentieth century and is now restricted to some of the larger woods in southern England. There has been a recent slight re-expansion in some areas.Restricted to large woods in southern England where they spend much of their time in the treetops. Females resemble the White Admiral, but have an orange-ringed eyespot under the forewing.
Goat Willow (Salix caprea) is the most widely used foodplant although it breeds on Grey Willow (S.cinerea) and more rarely Crack- Willow (S. fragilis). Eggs are laid on a wide range of tree sizes, ranging from medium sized shrubs to tall canopy trees.
Found in large blocks of broadleaved woodland or clusters of smaller woods and/or dense scrub with a good supply of willow.
Purple Emperor - Iain H Leach
Purple Emperor - Iain H Leach
Purple Emperor (female/upperwing) - Bob Eade
Bob Eade
Purple Emperor (male/upperwing) - Iain Leach
Iain Leach
Purple Emperor (female/upperwing) - Bob Eade
Bob Eade
Purple Emperor (underwing) - Iain Leach
Iain Leach
Purple Emperor (underwing) - John Murray
John Murray
Purple Emperor (underwing) - Iain Leach
Iain Leach
Purple Emperor (underwing) - Andrew Cooper
Andrew Cooper
Purple Emperor (egg) - Peter Eeles
Peter Eeles
Purple Emperor (caterpillar) - Gillian Thompson
Gillian Thompson
Purple Emperor (caterpillar) - Peter Eeles
Peter Eeles
Purple Emperor (pupa) - Peter Eeles
Peter Eeles