A Purple Emperor has been seen in Derbyshire for the first time, delighting lepidopterists. Ken Orpe, who runs the East Midlands branch of charity Butterfly Conservation, said the arrival of Purple Emperors in the county was a

Purple Emperor has been seen in Derbyshire for the first time, delighting lepidopterists.

Ken Orpe, who runs the East Midlands branch of charity Butterfly Conservation, said the arrival of Purple Emperor in the county was a “big deal”.

The butterfly, a male, was first seen and photographed on 8 July on a driveway in Bretby, in the south of the county near Burton upon Trent. It marked a Derbyshire first, with no previous records spanning back to 1829.