An elderly man who is an enthusiast photographed the Ryukyu Purple Butterfly, a large butterfly that is rare in the prefecture, in the mountains of Nagaokakyo City, Kyoto Prefecture. The man said, "It's a lost butterfly, and it seems to have been brought there by a typhoon in early September."
Kimiaki Sano (74 years old) of the NPO "Otokuni Nature Conservation Association" is fascinated by the beauty of butterflies, and has been observing and photographing them since he was about 55 years old.
The Ryukyu Purple Butterfly measures 8 to 9 centimeters when it spreads its wings. The upper part of the wings is black with white spots, and depending on the angle, it appears a beautiful blue-purple. The underside is dark brown with white spots on the edges. It lives in Okinawa Prefecture and other places.
Around noon on September 13, 2024, Sano spotted an "unfamiliar figure" flying softly near a bush clover flower. He confirmed the blue-purple spots on the wings and tried to take a photo, but regrettably, "it flew away after I pressed the shutter once."
"I regret not being able to photograph it with its wings spread," he said, and he continues to observe the area.
