Species Account for Apatura iris

W&C Act: Schedule 5
Essex RDB: Listed
Threat:



Additional Phenology Data

Images

Purple Emperor2

Purple Emperor

male 18-07-2010

female ovipositing 17-07-2011

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Essex Red Data List comment
Purple Emperor. Notable/Nb. Near Threatened (2010 review, Butterfly Conservation) Extinct as a breeding species since before the First World War, occasional sightings during the remainder of the 20th century may have been rare vagrants or evidence of low-density colonies. Successful re-establishment attempts at the Marks Hall Estate were followed by the complete recolonisation of the county from the west (approx. period 2008-2020)

Species text
A large, woodland butterfly of central Southern England whose larvae feed mainly on Sallow (salix caprea). This butterfly spends much of its time high in the canopy and can be extremely difficult to find. A reintroduction programme under the Essex BAP has been undertaken during the 2000s adjacent to the Marks Hall Estate, near Coggeshall. There is currently (2012) a breeding population at this location. However, evidence from Hertfordshire and north-west Essex suggests that the presence of this elusive insect can never be completely discounted in suitable woodland. Sightings in 2011 and 2012, coupled with unconfirmed sightings from the 1980s, suggest that the Purple Emperor has remained extant along the High Beach ridge of Epping Forest. Isolated sightings should never be dismissed as vagrants or unauthorised releases as they could represent evidence of a landscape-scale population existing at extremely low density. (Butterfly Conservation) References

Habitats

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