Freyer, 1829
Freyer's Purple Emperor
Description:
Freyer's Purple Emperor is a butterfly of very warm, damp places. The butterflies can be found along wooded riverbanks, where its food plant, White Willow (Salix alba) grows. The males and females meet each other at the tops of tall trees, and the females lay their eggs in small batches at the top of the tree, on leaves in the crown.
The caterpillars grow quickly, and pupate suspended under a leaf or on a twig. The caterpillars from the brood that follows, hibernate. The butterflies have a varied diet. The females visit flowers for nectar, aphids for honeydew, and ripe fruit for the sugars. The males are often found on damp ground, on dung and on carrion. The butterflies are also attracted to sap oozing from wounded trees.
This species has one or two generations a year.
Habitat:
Mixed woodland
Water-fringe vegetations
Alluvial and very wet forest
Deciduous forests
Similar species:
Apatura ilia
Apatura iris