Emperor butterfly

The Emperor Butterfly, also called Emperor, is an uncommon butterfly that is found around flowers in the summer months, late in the day. It is the only butterfly that can be found in the night. It is sold for 2,500 Bells.

Donating to the Museum
As with all fish and bugs in the series, the Emperor Butterfly can be donated to the Museum by talking to Blathers, the curator. When donating, Blathers will say the following upon receiving the Emperor Butterfly:

In Wild World
''If you wish to keep an emperor butterfly as a specimen, remove the body. If you don't, oils from the expired body will leak out, changing the wing color. Blech, the very thought of those post-mortem oils...''

Note: It's not advised to collect or keep specimens of butterflies. Many species are considered vulnerable or threatened due to habitat loss and the changing climate.

After donation, the Emperor can be found fluttering around the flowers in the first room of the insect exhibit.

In City Folk
"The emperor butterfly's beautiful blue markings make it a popular gift in certain parts of the world. Hoo, yes, wonderful gift... Such gift givers should have their heads examined, I should think..."

It can be found in the bottom terrace, flying near or resting on the flowers with any other butterflies.

Bug Encyclopedia Information
Once an Emperor Butterfly has been caught, the player can find information about the insect in the bug menu. Below is the information:

Further Information
Morpho menelaus, more commonly known as the Blue Morpho, is an exotic butterfly that can be found in Central and South America. It feeds primarily on rotten fruit, but in the larval stage, frequently eats other larvae of the same species. Oddly, it's not referred to as an Emperor butterfly in the real world, but the family to which it belongs, Nymphalidae, is sometimes known as the Emperors.

Etymology
Morpho stems from the Greek word for form, and therefore means 'changed'. This may be a reflection of the species' beautiful iridescence, which has the quality of changing colours in the light. Menelaus was a legendary king of Sparta who married Helen of Troy.