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The Purple Emperor-Male

The Purple Emperor (Apatura iris) is a butterfly of the Nymphalidae family. The Purple Emperor is a magnificent and ,,elusive' insect , this butterfly spends most of its time in the woodland canopy.

The male butterfly is one of the most beautiful of all of the butterflies found in the Europe. From certain angles it appears to have black wings intersected with white bands. However, when the wings are at a certain angle to the sun, the most beautiful purple sheen is displayed, a result of light being refracted from the structures of the wing scales. The female, on the other hand, is a deep brown and does not possess the purple sheen found in the male.

 

 

Nymphalis antiopa (Camberwell Beauty)

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Uploaded on July 26, 2011
Taken on July 8, 2011