The Purple Emperor (Apatura iris/Blauer Schillerfalter) is neither the rarest, nor the largest of butterflies.
He is, however, of an elusive nature. He spends most of the time high in the trees and only comes down to feed.
This is not a butterfly you will stumble upon, unless you have extraordinary luck. I was fortunate to get these few shots.
I went to the same spot many times but have not been able to see him again. 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.