Inspired by reading Matthew Oates’ book “His Imperial Majesty” I felt moved to search for its subject, the Purple Emperor butterfly.

You never forget your first encounter with a Purple Emperor. Mine occurred in a wood near Tonbridge in June 2018. Having been told this was a rare and elusive butterfly I thought my chances of seeing one were slim yet a co-operative male ended up perching on my forearm where it probed with feet and antennae for salts in my sweat. I tried not to think it might have come direct from dog or fox faeces. Now I know there was no need to worry as Matthew says in the book I wrote about in my last column that Purple Emperors often visit damp leaves to clean themselves between visits to favoured smelly sites.

I was delighted with six Purple Emperor sightings until I read in the book that Matthew saw more than 150 the same day on the Knepp Estate in Sussex. Oh well, he has 50 years of butterfly research behind him and only recently retired as National Trust natural history specialist.

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Silver-washed Fritillary by Jim Butler

The signs didn’t seem encouraging on my return to Dene Park Wood. Sun only occasionally peeped from cloud-smothered sky and disappointed butterfly enthusiasts were already leaving with the same tale of only one Purple Emperor seen five hours earlier at seven am.

Plenty of butterflies were present. Purple Hairstreaks rested in a bush, a couple of jagged-winged Commas flew by, Meadow Browns, Gatekeepers, Ringlet, Speckled Woods and Large Whites were all active. Large and Small Skippers hovered around nearby grassland then a superb Silver-washed Fritillary posed with wings open.

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Reaching a fork in the path with clouds again obscuring sun it seemed right to give up the search. Then my companion Jim shouted and pointed high into an oak tree where an apparently all-black butterfly flitted around. Luckily it descended to around 15 feet where the dappled light finally illuminated white markings and purple sheen on the upper-wings as it banked to land.

It was time to hail the Emperor.