Unravelling the Purple Emperor: Its Ecology and Mythology

Does this majestic butterfly really spend its life boozing, fighting and chasing birds?

Hear from ecologist and author Matthew Oates.

Matthew Oates was a senior ecologist with the National Trust for 30 years and oversaw the conservation of butterflies and other invertebrates within the Trust. A life member of Butterfly Conservation, he retired in 2018 to champion the Purple Emperor. He volunteers at Knepp Wildland in Sussex and is a regular contributor to newspapers and TV and radio programmes on wildlife. His book, His Imperial Majesty: A natural history of the Purple Emperor was published by Bloomsbury in 2020.

Find what Matthew has discovered about this most majestic of butterflies over 50 years of observations with a chance to buy a signed copy of his book in this fascinating talk.