His Imperial Majesty

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.

• ForewordIntroduction: Adrift on the windChapter 1: A glorious historyChapter 2: The modern eraChapter 3: The Purple EmpireChapter 4: Introduction to the adult stageChapter 5: Beauty as a weapon: the male Purple EmperorChapter 6: The Empress: a life apartChapter 7: Looking for Purple EmperorsChapter 8: Habitats and breeding groundsChapter 9: Sallow identification and preferences: a veritable nightmareChapter 10: Eggs and late summer larvaeChapter 11: Hibernation and the winter monthsChapter 12: Spring larvae and the pupal stageChapter 13: Adventures with remarkable caterpillarsChapter 14: Looking for Purple Emperor eggs and larvaeChapter 15: The Purple land that England gainedChapter 16: Conservation issuesChapter 17: The futureAppendix: The history and current status of the Purple Emperor, by region and countryGlossaryReferences and further readingEpilogueAcknowledgementsIndex of species and scientific namesGeneral index

Captivating ... an exuberant natural history.