A BUTTERFLY thought to be extinct in Devon for decades is causing a buzz in wildlife circles after possibly fluttering into the Newton Abbot area.

The purple emperor, commonly found in the South East but never the South West, was spotted by sharp-eyed Ann Ritterhausen whose family run Orchid Paradise at Forches Cross.

She was so excited by the deep purple wonder she saw flitting around the Stover Canal area that she rushed home to make checks on her computer to confirm it was what she thought.

‘It was so beautiful and unexpected,’ said a delighted Ann who insisted her vision was not a figment of her imagination as it was seen by friends accompanying her on the nature stroll.

She sought a second opinion from wildlife film director and Mid-Devon Advertiser columnist Andrew Cooper who described her find as ‘a very exciting encounter’ provided it was indeed the stranger in paradise.

He has his doubts, although he would be delighted if it could be proved beyond doubt that the purple emperor had flown into pastures new.

‘I think it is unlikely – but you can never rule these things out,’ said Andrew who passed on Ann’s discovery to the Devon Biodiversity Record Centre.

Ann said: ‘If it was not the purple emperor I would dearly like to know what it was. There is nothing else.’

She remains ‘very positive’ that what she saw last month was none other than the deep purple flyer who was – in the words of the rock band of the same colourful name – ‘a long way from home.’

The only disparity she could find was that the butterfly she saw had no tell-tale white markings which are normally sported by the purple emperor.

‘I could not believe what I saw. It was such a beautiful thing. It was bigger than a red admiral,’ said Ann who added: ‘I’m not an expert but I’ve always had a keen interest in butterflies.’

The purple emperor is most commonly found in the South East and ventures as far west as parts of Wiltshire. Its favoured habitat is woodland.