The advice that I was given in Israel was spot on. To capture good images of the butterflies that I wanted, on Mt. Meron in the very north of Israel, get there early, very early. How early? 6:30 in the morning.

The alarm was set for 4 A.M. each of the 5 mornings that I guested at the SPNI field house at the foot of the mountain. By 6:15 each morning, I reached the trail near the top of the mountain.

Great advice. Butterflies were just leaving their nighttime roosts. Sluggish, too cool for full-speed flight, they searched for good perches to warm in the morning sun. The morning sun in the Holy Land comes on with impressive intensity.

That’s the back story for this image. Lycaena thersamon didn’t object to my approach. Rich color, full wings. The start of a very good morning, July 2014.

Jeff