Emperor butterfly

← (8) Monarch butterfly

New Horizons bugs

Agrias butterfly (10) →

New Horizons bugs
← (8) Monarch butterfly	→ Agrias butterfly (10)

Emperor butterfly
Image gallery
Real-world info
Name: Morpho menelaus Family: Nymphalidae
Main appearances
DnM DnM+ AC DnMe+ iQue WW CF NL NH
Other appearances
Film HHD aF PC
Names in other languages  モルフォチョウ  大蓝闪蝶  Morpho bleu  Mariposa celeste  Farfalla morfo blu  Морфо менелай  몰포나비  大藍閃蝶  Morpho bleu  Mariposa celeste  Himmelsfalter  Blauwe morpho

The emperor butterfly (known as the emperor prior to New Leaf) is a bug in the Animal Crossing series. It first appeared in Animal Crossing: Wild World and has appeared in all subsequent games. It is the only butterfly that can be found during the night.

In the games that the emperor butterfly appears in, it is a rare bug that the player can encounter, and can be found flying around flowers. In Animal Crossing: New Horizons, it can be caught from summer to the start of fall, and again from winter to the start of spring.

Catch details

In Wild World

#6

"I caught an emperor butterfly! It's blue... it's royal!"

Description	Their wings are iridescent, like the back of a CD.
Time of year	Jul – Sep
Time of day	8 AM – 5 PM
Peak times	N/A
Location	Flying near flowers
Bug size	115 mm
Selling price	2,500 Bells
Furniture size

In City Folk

#6

"I caught an emperor butterfly! Such royal beauty!"

Description	Their wings appear to be blue on one side, but quite plain on the other.
Time of year	Jun – Sep
Time of day	7 PM – 8 AM
Peak times	N/A
Location	Flying near flowers
Bug size	115 mm
Rarity	Rare
Selling price	2,500 Bells
Furniture size

In New Leaf

#6

"I caught an emperor butterfly! Feeling blue, Your Majesty?"

Time of year	Jun – Sep All year (Tortimer Island)
Time of day	Mainland: 5 PM – 8 AM Tortimer Island: 7 PM – 8 AM
Peak times	N/A
Location	Flying near flowers (can be found on Tortimer Island)
Size	146 mm
Rarity	Rare
Selling price	2,500 Bells
Furniture size

In Pocket Camp

The emperor butterfly is one of the seven bugs in Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp that has been in the game since its release.

#5

Availability	Currently available (since March 26, 2024) 2017-10-25 – 2019-12-27 2020-03-27 – 2020-09-09 2021-03-26 – 2021-08-29 2022-03-24 – 2022-09-19 2023-03-23 – 2023-09-15
Location	Sunburst Island
Size	137.7 mm – 154.2 mm
Rarity	★★★
Selling price	3,000 Bells
Version added	0.9.0
Villager gift data	Tier: 3 (Uncommon+) Rewards:  1,500 Bells Fortune cookie (20%) +3 Friendship points

In New Horizons

#9

"I caught an emperor butterfly! It's not your average monarch!"

Time of year	North: Dec – Mar; Jun – Sep South: Jun – Sep; Dec – Mar
Time of day	5 PM – 8 AM
Location	Flying near flowers
Weather	Any except rain
Spawn requirement	Catch 20 total bugs
Selling prices	Nook's Cranny:  4,000 Bells  Flick:  6,000 Bells
Furniture size

Donating to the museum

As with all fish and bugs in the Animal Crossing 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..."

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.

In New Leaf

The emperor butterfly flying around the player in the museum in Animal Crossing: New Leaf

Upon being donated, the butterfly can be found in the first room of the bug exhibit resting on flowers with the other butterflies. The exhibit has this to say about the emperor butterfly:

"Emperor butterflies are easily recognized because of their lovely, iridescent blue wings. Pigmentation isn't actually what causes the color, but rather the reflections on their wing scales. Since their wings shimmer when moving, noticing them is much easier when they are midflight."

In New Horizons

When the player donates an emperor butterfly, Blathers will say this about it before thanking the player for the donation:

"The emperor butterfly is called the jewel of the forest. But its vivid blue hue... Eww, let me tell you! The color does not come from a dye, but rather from light reflecting off translucent scales. Yes, butterfly wings are covered in tiny scales! SCALES! Butterflies? Bah! More like snakes of the sky!"

Gallery

For more images, view this subject's gallery.

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  Animal Crossing: Wild World

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  Animal Crossing: City Folk

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  Animal Crossing: New Leaf

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  Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Real-world information

A real emperor butterfly

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. The in-game name Emperor Butterfly, while not used to refer to its species, may originate from the species' family, Nymphalidae, which 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' iridescence, which has the quality of changing colors in the light. Menelaus was a legendary king of Sparta who married Helen of Troy.

Names in other languages

	モルフォチョウ morufo chou	Morpho butterfly
	몰포나비 molponabi	Morpho butterfly
	大蓝闪蝶 dàlán shǎndié	Blue morpho
	大藍閃蝶 Unknown
	Морфо менелай Morfo menelay	Menelaus morfo
	Blauwe morpho	Blue morpho
	Himmelsfalter	Sky Butterfly
	Mariposa celeste	Literally, "Sky blue butterfly"
	Morpho bleu	Blue morpho
	Morfo blu Farfalla morfo blu (NH)	Blue Morpho

Notes

Pocket Camp bugs

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