Apatura ilia/Kleiner Schillerfalter, Le Petit Mars
is a great butterfly with a wingspan of 5.0 – 6.0 cm. It is black with white spots and the male has a purple /blue iridescence.
The purple/blue is caused by an optical phenomenon.
It is neither the rarest, nor the largest of butterflies, however, of an elusive nature,
spending most of the time high in the trees and only comes down to feed. (Butterfly net)