His Imperial Majesty
Bloomsbury Wildlife (Verlag)
978-1-4729-5012-3 (ISBN)
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When summer is at its zenith and the sallow foliage develops a bluish tinge, a giant butterfly – beautiful, bold and brazen – flies powerfully over the tree canopy. Females of this species, wary yet determined, haunt the sallow thickets, depositing their eggs, while the males establish treetop territories and descend to the woodland floor in search of indelicacies to feed upon. Mysterious, elusive and enthralling in equal measure, this is the butterfly that Victorian collectors yearned for above all others: His Imperial Majesty, the Purple Emperor.
A wondrous enigma, the Purple Emperor is our most elusive and least-known butterfly – we glimpse it only through fissures in its treetop world, yet this giant insect has fascinated us for centuries and has even inspired its own 'Emperoring' language. Matthew Oates became captivated by the Purple Emperor following his first sighting as a boy. He has studied it assiduously ever since, devoting his life to trying to unravel the Emperor's secrets.
His Imperial Majesty takes us on a journey, beginning with a dalliance into the bizarre history of our engagement with the butterfly, with daring doings and gross eccentricities from the Victorian and Edwardian eras. Subsequent chapters explore all aspects of this remarkable butterfly's life cycle, including behaviour, habitat preferences, life history and conservation, all relayed in Matthew's unique, informative and witty style. Not so long ago, our knowledge of the Emperor was largely based on a blend of mythology and assumption. This book dispels the fabrications and reveals all about the Purple Emperor – the king of British butterflies.
Matthew Oates is a naturalist, writer and poet who has been obsessed by Britain's butterflies since he was at school. Intimately acquainted with all Britain's native species, he has conducted most of his research on the Pearl-bordered Fritillary, Mountain Ringlet and Duke of Burgundy; his experiences are summarised in his previous book, In Pursuit of Butterflies. But no butterfly has entranced him as much as the elusive Purple Emperor – a butterfly we now understand much better thanks to his detailed and tireless observations. Matthew retired from his post as National Specialist on Nature with the National Trust in 2018, and dedicated his retirement to ensuring the future of his favourite butterfly. He writes regularly for The Times Nature Notebook column and in magazines, and lives on the Gloucestershire–Wiltshire border.
Foreword
Introduction: Adrift on the wind
Chapter 1: A glorious history
Chapter 2: The modern era
Chapter 3: The Purple Empire
Chapter 4: Introduction to the adult stage
Chapter 5: Beauty as a weapon: the male Purple Emperor
Chapter 6: The Empress: a life apart
Chapter 7: Looking for Purple Emperors
Chapter 8: Habitats and breeding grounds
Chapter 9: Sallow identification and preferences: a veritable nightmare
Chapter 10: Eggs and late summer larvae
Chapter 11: Hibernation and the winter months
Chapter 12: Spring larvae and the pupal stage
Chapter 13: Adventures with remarkable caterpillars
Chapter 14: Looking for Purple Emperor eggs and larvae
Chapter 15: The Purple land that England gained
Chapter 16: Conservation issues
Chapter 17: The future
Appendix: The history and current status of the Purple Emperor, by region and country
Glossary
References and further reading
Epilogue
Acknowledgements
Index of species and scientific names
General index
| Erscheinungsdatum | 15.06.2020 |
|---|---|
| Zusatzinfo | colour photos |
| Verlagsort | London |
| Sprache | englisch |
| Maße | 135 x 216 mm |
| Gewicht | 560 g |
| Themenwelt | Sachbuch/Ratgeber ► Natur / Technik ► Naturführer |
| Naturwissenschaften ► Biologie ► Zoologie | |
| ISBN-10 | 1-4729-5012-7 / 1472950127 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-1-4729-5012-3 / 9781472950123 |
| Zustand | Neuware |
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