If you come across different types of Purple butterflies, you should count yourself lucky because Purple butterflies are extremely rare and can only be found in very small numbers.
As a result of their solitary lifestyles, these are uncommonly seen, with a few exceptions.
As no butterfly species are entirely purple, you will often see purple as a secondary color on butterflies.
Some butterflies have a coloring that is closer to purple than any other colors, but they still come in various colors.
Several nations, including Japan, have purple butterflies designated as their national butterfly.
Because they are so rare, one can only find them in particularly wet or tropical forests near large bodies of water.
Compared to butterflies of other colors, purple butterflies feed primarily on nectar from flowers, but many species also consume dung, carrion, and mud.
Below are 12 types of Purple butterflies across the world.
1. Striped Blue Crow Butterfly
The forewings of Striped Blue Crown Butterflies (Euploea mulciber) range in color from blue to purple and have white spots. The edges are black.
They have dark hindwings that combine gray and brown in some areas.
Since their dorsal and ventral patterns are identical, spotting one of these butterflies is quite unusual.
The ventral pigmentation is also blue with purple undertones, and the forewings include either light white or blue dots. Additionally, white specks are on its dark margins.
The veins and stripes of the ventral hindwings are yellow and black, and tiny yellow spots are along the edges of the wings. The coloring of the ventral hindwings is light brown.
2. Agathina Emperor
Male Agathina Emperor butterflies, also known as Doxocopa agathina, have wings ranging from blue to purple.
The color fills up virtually all of the space on both the insect’s forewings and hindwings.
This species’ upper forewings have an orange edge, while the outer forewings have orange patches that run the length of the wing.
The females are brown, with an orange band running down the middle. The band extends in a direction that is diagonal to the body.
Both males and females have shades of brown and gray in their ventral pigmentation, regardless of gender.
There are also brown males of this species that have little purple sections across the wings in some South American variants of the species.
This species is typically found in Brazil’s Amazon region and is quite small. The largest length of its wingspan is two inches.
3. Dingy Purplewing
Dingy Purplewing butterflies are particularly fond of the subtropical woodlands surrounding them (Eunica monima).
In addition to its natural range in Central America, these Purple butterflies thrive across Florida and Texas.
The dorsal wings have a hue that is dark brown overall with a purple tint to it. Additionally, its ventral wings are primarily blue to purple in coloration.
The number of butterfly species that do not feed on the nectar of plants is decreasing, and the Dingy Purplewing butterfly is one of those kinds. The species enjoys eating dung as one of its primary food sources.
The caterpillars of this species graze on tree leaves, whereas the adults eat excrement. Adults feed their young.
The caterpillars of the Dingy Purplewing butterfly depend heavily on the gumbo-limb tree as their food source.
4. Purple Emperor
Several species of butterflies, like the Purple Emperor (Apatura iris), can have a purple morph.
The fact that the purple morph of the species only has one wing that is colored purple and black, while the other wing is mostly black, is one of the unique things about this species variant.
No other brown variants of the Purple Emperor display these distinct color changes.
Brown butterflies comprise most of this species’ male and female populations.
Even the underbelly of individuals of this species has a coloring pattern predominately comprised of brown and gray tones.
Oak woodlands are the best places to look for these Purple butterflies. Purple Emperor caterpillars require oak trees as their food source.
The honeydew produced by oak-feeding aphids is another source of nutrition for these butterflies. They don’t drink nectar from plants at all.
Certain members of this species would feed on dead animals. The more they observe other butterflies feasting on carrion, the more interested they become in it.
5. Freyer’s Purple Emperor
This particular species of butterfly, known scientifically as Apatura metis, is indigenous to both Europe and Asia.
Carrion and mud are their primary sources of nutrition. You can find these species in damp woodlands.
This particular kind of butterfly has wings that are primarily a deep purple color. Its purple wings are marked with orange spots, while its body is predominantly gray to brown.
These butterflies have light brown wings marked with white patterns in the same form and size as the white markings on their dorsal surfaces.
Due to the reduction in the size of their native habitat, butterflies belonging to this genus are becoming more difficult to find in many parts of the world.
The population of Freyer’s Purple Emperors has been declining due to deforestation.
6. Great Purple Emperor
The Great Purple Emperor butterfly, also known as the Sasakia charonda, is Japan’s national butterfly.
The wings of this particular species have a mostly purple coloring with blue undertones.
On the wings of this species are visible wide black borders and huge white markings across.
In contrast to other purple butterflies, which can only reach a maximum wing spread of 2 inches, Great Purple Emperors can reach a maximum wing span of 2.6 inches as they mature. The species of host trees known as hackberries are among the most widespread.
7. Purple Cerulean (Jamides Phaseli)
The Purple Cerulean, also known as Jamies phaseli, is a species researchers once found in Australia.
The majority of its occurrences are in the northern regions of Australia.
This species’ wings have a rich purple color with white and black borders. One more characteristic that sets this species apart is its dark veining.
It is unique to this species that individuals have black bodies with white bands across the lower body.
You can also find large black patches on the lower half of the hindwings of these types of Purple butterflies.
8. Pavon Emperor
Pavon Emperor butterflies, or Doxocopa pavon, have dark brown wings with nearly purple undertones.
These butterflies stand out due to the gradation of color from blue to purple that covers their wings.
Brown makes up most of their bodies, with white patches appearing on the center portions of the wings. There are also large orange patches on the upper side of the forewings.
The United States is not the best place to look for these Purple butterflies.
It is possible to spot one of these animals here and there in Southern Texas, but their population is significantly higher in Mexico and South America.
The species strongly desire to live in tropical climates, propelling them toward warmer climates.
These butterflies get their food from the nectar of flowers. In addition, the mud provides them with additional moisture and nutrients.
9. Purple Crow Butterfly
The Purple Crow Butterfly, also known as the Euploea tulliolus, is indigenous to Taiwan, Vietnam, and several other Asian nations, in addition to Australia.
The purple tint on the black wings of this species is where its moniker comes from.
When the butterfly is in a shady area, the purple hue of its wings is not visible, but during the middle of the day, when the sun is at its highest point in the sky, the color becomes clearer.
Most people are familiar with Purple Crow Butterflies because of their controlled movements.
This species’ foraging behavior changes depending on the time of year.
The migration occurs in urban areas in various parts of the world, requiring them to fly over crowded, dirty cities during their journey.
Because the Taiwan Purple Crow Butterfly is a protected species, the local government monitors the migration of these Purple butterflies.
10. Purple Owl-Butterfly
The Purple Own-Butterflies, also known as Caligo beltrao, are some of the largest butterflies in the world.
Reports have shown that the species has a wing span of 120 millimeters. The Purple Owl-coloration Butterfly consists of blue, black, and purple.
Blue colorations are visible on the portions of the wings that are closer to the body.
The black wings have shades of purple across the body and the outermost regions.
A few orange apexes are visible on the upper surface of the forewings. In addition, One can notice white areas on the lower hindwings near the body.
These types of Purple butterflies preferred blooms directly impact the colors they display. It consumes purple arrowroot for food.
11. Lesser Purple Emperor
The Lesser Purple Emperor, also known as Apatura ilia, can be found near poplar woodlands. The caterpillar of this species feeds on poplar trees as their host plant.
The Lesser Purple Emperor is one of the few butterflies that is actually purple.
These species reside in a wide variety of morphs, but the common denominator among them is a purple hue that runs up the length of the wings.
Purple patches are on the forewings and hindwings of male butterflies. In addition, there are patches of white and gray on the wings.
On the forewings, notice a pair of orange eyespots. The species’ forewings are also decorated with thin orange edges all the way around.
The Lesser Purple Emperor has a ventral coloring pattern that consists of tan, gray, and pale orange. The ventral colors of this species are drab and fading.
12. Florida Purplewing
The Floride Purplewing, also known as Eunica tatila, is a butterfly native to the southeastern United States. Its wing span ranges from 1 to 2 inches.
These Purple butterflies are most common in forested areas and close to bodies of water.
Large populations of Florida Purplewings also thrive in other parts of Mexico and South America.
The wings of this species are blue, while the margins range from dark brown to purple.
The forewings have white spots, and the ventral wings, which look like dead leaves, ranging from gray to brown.
There are always at least six white dots on each wing; the number is never lower than that.
The Florida Purplewing’s diet consists primarily of rotting fruit. Nectar from flowers is another possible source of nutrition for them.