Turkish Meadow Brown

Posted November 17, 2018

Filed under Mt. Meron, Israel, Turkish Brown

Color. I love warm color. True, when I loved in New York, though untrained, I spent lots of time in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, MOMA, Brooklyn Museum and often visited Christie’s and Sotheby’s pre-Sale exhibitions of American Art and European Art. I love fine Art and I love color.

Mt. Meron in the upper Galilee region of Israel had a good number of Turkish Meadow Brown butterflies, they sporting rich, warm color.

I spent several days seeking the best Maniola Telmessia I could find.

I like this for that, and when it went from flower to flower I followed.

Here’s the image I want to share. It evokes comely color, warm, agreeable and inviting.

Jeff

Turkish Meadow Brown Butterfly in the Old City

Posted January 24, 2018

Filed under Jerusalem, Israel, Turkish Brown

Turkish meadow brown butterfly photographed by Jeffrey Zablow at Jerusalem, Israel

Which Old City? The Old City, in the most fought over city in the world. What a crazy world we live in, where the most Holy city, Jerusalem, arouses so much enmity.

Ever since this image was shared on wingedbeauty.com, I have tried to cajole my friends here to travel to the HolyLand, as I have done many times. So many of your are firm believers, so many are devout Christians. I have assured you that Jerusalem and the rest of Israel are safe, secure and will take your breath away. Truth be told, I cannot say that over these last 6 years, my persuasions have brought a single butterfly lover to an international boarding gate.

This is only 1 of 2 Turkish Meadow Brown butterflies that I have ever seen. This was 2009. We stayed some 3 days in an apartment that overlooked the Kotel (the Western Wall itself). You opened your window, there was the Kotel. It took my breath away. Vice President Pence was there just 2 days ago.

I was sure that there must be butterflies thereabouts, and sure enough, see this Brown, on ancient walkway steps, almost shouting distance from the site of the First Temple! I shoot film with a Macro lens. This Turkish Brown butterfly and I played a little game. I approach, it flies, some 15 or so feet away. I approach, and it flies, some 15 or so feet away, and so on.

Shooting butterflies, within earshot of the Kotel. Wow!

Jeff

Playing Favorites . . . with Butterflies

Posted September 22, 2014

Filed under Flowers Loved by Butterflies, Mt. Meron, Israel, Turkish Brown

She is on the plain side, or so you think, until you catch sight of her lush wash of orange, yellow and black and white eyespots. On Israel’s Mt. Meron, on that mountain looking out upon the Israeli-Lebanon border, I wanted to find a fresh Maniola telmessia, the Turkish Brown Butterfly.

Not my first introduction to them, but most I’ve seen over these last years had subdued color. Drab, I guess. I wanted to come back to the U.S. with images of richly colored females. Here she is, nectaring on wildflowers. I am not sure of the name of these blooms, but I do want you to notice the serious points radiating out from the flowerhead. Many, many wildflowers in Israel are so armored, and you have to be careful, to avoid painful brushes with these mini-spears, that can hurt.

So yes, we, I, do have our favorites, and we do, that is I do, forever want to get that better image, better than the one I already own. Like photographers who work sports venues, I suppose.

Jeff