Rare, and closely related to swallowtails, this Parnassius Mnemosyne butterfly flies on the top of Mt. Hermon, at the northern tip of Israel’s Golan Heights. It’s ancestors dodged countless firefights on the mountain, in 1967. Happily, some survived, and our female here thrilled me when she flew in to nectar, right in front of me. Happy even though it was very hot up there in June, and we had to carry many liters of water to endure this field work.
Posted now because our slides just returned from Kansas, where they were processed. Weeks ago I was in Israel, and made 2 trips to locate butterflies. Both were again to the northern edges of Israel, eye poppingly blanketed with wildflowers. My goal was to shoot rare butterflies, see the northern version of mid-Israel species, and salivate over rare wildflowers, many of them absent for several years, now hopefully in bloom, rocketed up following Israel’s wet and wild winter. Found many of them as well.
So before I travel south to reunite with my 100-year old dad ( in a southern VA Hospice), I must find the time to at least review some of those 1,691 slides. Most will see the circular file. But, an anticipatory but, soon I look forward to sharing some of them with y’all. The butterflies of Israel, and presumably Lebanon and Syria. The wildflowers of those 3 countries. Wow!
Jeff
Winged Beauty Butterflies 
Just wonderful … both the butterflies and the thought of you having a father of a hundred… mine died at 54, so I can’t imagine what those extra years of life together must have been like for you both…
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What a sweet little gem! gossamer wings and fairy dust combined . I eagerly anticipate seeing your new photos as you post them. Glad you got to visit with your Dad. A bittersweet occasion but worth it to see him again.
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Yes. Yes. I’ve completed my first review of the slides taken in israel’s north. Hundreds wound up in the circular file, but . . . there are quite a few that deserve the light of day! Those who urged me to see my dad in VA Hospice shared really good advice. Good advice is so important, No?
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Very pretty butterfly. Its wings look transparent.
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beautiful image as usual! one of my last journeys with my father (unfortunately he didn’t reach the age of hundred, congrats to yours!) was to archipelago of finland, that is lying at the entrance to the gulf of bothnia in the baltic sea. he made me to keep an eye on a butterfly, that he called it an apollo. hmm, it was really looking very similiar to yours (i’d say it was a bit more transparent white).
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I love this reminisce of your time spent with your father. The apollo is a butterfly that I have sought for many years. Elusive, like much of life.
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to satisfy my curiosity i had today morning a look at finnish „lepisites“. i found out that these butterflies are in finland under protection by law, ever since 1976.
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Delicate and lovely
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