Yes. wingedbeauty.com is a blog sharing our images and encounters with butterflies. But this March 2012 trip to Israel’s Northernmost Golan region coincided with the bloom of several exquisite wildflowers.

Hermon Iris is a protected wildflower that took our breath away when we came upon it alongside a trail. We saw approximately 20 in bloom. Delicate, fine, and regal, it is unlike any iris that I have planted in my several home gardens.

This is a lightly travelled region in the month of March. This is serendipitous, because it almost insures that Hermon Iris will bloom without human intervention.

I remain in disbelief years after learning that species of butterflies in the states have been extirpated in part due to collectors who could not resist (for a variety of reasons) collecting individuals and knocking their populations into oblivion!

I’ve booked for June, looking forward to again photographing in this region. At the crossroads of Israel, Lebanon and embattled Syria. Ah, the Horizon.

Jeff