purple emperor

British  

noun

1. any of several Old World nymphalid butterflies of the genus Apatura, esp A. iris, having mottled purple-and-brown wings

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Example Sentences

At one point you describe how purple emperors get drunk, literally, on toad poison.

From Salon

It’s widely accepted that he put the purple emperor back into Lincolnshire – but critics argue that the butterfly would have returned eventually.

From The Guardian

Other safaris, both on foot and in vehicles, focus on the dawn chorus, bats and moths, purple emperor butterflies, Sussex oaks, owls, kingfishers and other highlights of the natural world.

From Washington Post

Species like purple emperor butterflies and nightingales, which had not been sighted for a generation, returned, the soil recovered from decades of fertilizer overuse, and natural river systems were restored.

From National Geographic

The Knepp Castle estate boasts more purple emperor butterflies than anywhere in Britain.

From The Guardian