'Iconic' butterfly seen in county for first time

The male purple emperor butterfly boasts an iridescent colour on its wings, while the females are brown

One of Britain's largest butterflies has been seen in Derbyshire for the first time since records began nearly 200 years ago.

A scheme to plant hundreds of goat willow trees was launched last year, in a bid to attract the insects to the county, after the "iconic" purple emperor butterfly was spotted moving north from its usual home in southern England.

The trees were planted to create new a habitat for the species.

Ken Orpe, who runs the East Midlands branch of charity Butterfly Conservation, said the arrival of purple emperors was a "big deal".

A male purple emperor (pictured) was spotted on a driveway in Bretby, Derbyshire

Mr Orpe said the insect was first spotted on 8 July on a driveway in Bretby, in the south of the county.

He said a purple emperor had not been seen in Derbyshire before, according to records dating back to 1829.

"I never, ever, thought that I'd hear that a purple emperor butterfly had arrived in Derbyshire," he said.

"People are over the moon that they've now got a chance to see the butterfly in Derbyshire. They'd normally have to go down south to see it.

"But now, they can see it right here."

The Butterfly Conservation charity and South Derbyshire District Council launched the tree planting scheme after the butterfly was recorded in Northamptonshire and Leicestershire in recent years.

Mr Orpe said the butterfly could have moved further north in recent years due to climate change.

Ken Orpe said it was a "tremendous deal" that the purple emperor had been seen in Derbyshire

Butterfly Conservation volunteer Jerry Evans said the species was the "most spectacular butterfly we have in Britain".

"It is very elusive, which for a spotter makes it even more tempting," he said.

"They're really spectacular to look at. The colours are magnificent as well as the size.

"The fact that it's already arrived is fantastic news."

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