Tag Archives: early morning

Dazed at the Serendipity of Seeing this Malachite Butterfly

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Filed under Malachite, National Butterfly Center, Mission, TX

Malachite butterfly (Ventral) photographed by Jeff Zablow at the National Butterfly Center, Mission, TX

The flight to San Antonio Texas, boarded very early in the morning, because of that I slept in a hotel near Atlanta’s Hartsfield International Airport. We flew the 1,300 miles or so, rented a car at the airport, and drove more than 4 hours to Alamo, Texas. Those 5 days in Mission, Texas were unforgettable. Every day I met new butterflies. I would turn and there’d be new butterflies.

Many of those new species were more than rare, call them very rare. I was almost dazed at the serendipity (is that the correct word here?) of it all. Christmas week in Texas, almost at the border, and so much to be Thankful for.

This Malachite butterfly was the most memorable of them all. Fresh, poised, elegant and ‘Rare,’ it remained in place much of the time. Injured? No. Weakened by poor health? No. It’s senses dulled by some problem? No.

On seeing the Malachite Butterfly, I appreciated it all, I internalized the incredibility of what I’d experienced and yes, I knew that G-d had again shared great beauty with . . . me.

National Butterfly Center, Mission, Texas.

Sing To An Arizona Arroyo

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Filed under Native Plants and Flowers, White Tank Mtn. Regional Park, AZ

Arroyo Wall photographed by Jeff Zablow at White Tank Mountains Regional Park, Arizona

Early morning at White Tank Mountains Regional Park, west of Phoenix, Arizona. The central desert region of Arizona, in the southwestern USA. Bad Boy Jeff sort of did not honor those signs posted nearby, warning all to not enter the Arroyo, because dry as bones now, a flash storm upstream might/could send a mountain of water your way, without warning.

I’d been to this Arroyo several times, with excellent butterfly finds. Finds I will not forget. What also mesmerized me was the walls of the Arroyo, they drier than bones but . . . .

Beyond those wildflowers, in February bloom, and the other flora and scrub trees on this Arroyo wall, tucked away in the shadows you see, away from the 98 degree Fahrenheit heat that almost took Jeff once, must be amazing desert creatures: lizards, mice, rabbits, scorpions, snakes, spiders, and much unfamiliar to me.

I’d stand there and never know what rested in those cavities, hunkered safely from the daylight and the burning sun. No Ma’am, I will not go there at night, Big Time violating Park regulations, to see what exits those shadows. No Ma’am.

Once, in the early 1980’s, I went with a Manhattan New York friend, who asked if I wanted to see a world famous nightspot, I think its Name was Studio 54 (?) near East 14th Street in Manhattan. We went, and it was the most bizarre place I’ve visited, Ever. I never went back, and the things I saw there, were beyond my belief. That’s what this spot must look like at 1-2 AM!

The things we’ll never see or know . . . .

Jeff

Lycaena Phlaeas timeus At Nahal Dishon Refuge

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Filed under Lycaena Phlaes, Upper Galilee, Israel

Lycaena Phlaeas butterfly, photographed by Jeff Zablow at Nahal Dishon National Park, Upper Galilee, Israel

She was there on that rock, sunning herself in the early morning. Where? At Nahal Dishon Refuge Park in the very Upper Galilee of the HolyLand/Israel. I was more than happy to find her, for I was hoping to find this Israeli Copper butterfly, and finding a female is always good, for they usually hide, and remain in or close to vegetation.

Those stark black spots, beautiful burnt orange color and those baby blue spots on her hindwings made getting this image a much appreciated capture.

Copper in the HolyLand, a tiny treat that can’t be beat.

Jeff

Met The False Apollo Butterfly in . . .

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Filed under Parnassian, Upper Galilee, Israel

False Apollo butterfly  Nahal Dishon National Park, photographed by Jeff Zablow at Upper Galilee, Israel

It is difficult to accept, but this False Apollo butterfly is closely related to our Swallowtail butterflies. That I never saw one in the U.S. is explained by the absence of these Parnassian butterflies from much of the United States. They fly here in the western United States, mostly in mountainous areas.

I was 7,000 miles from home that early morning, in Nahal Dishon Park in Israel. That’s why I was there, to meet this eye-pleasing, new for me, butterfly.

Pleased I was to find such a fresh, vividly-colored False Apollo. Happy too I was, to be afforded those many moments that I was given to successfully capture it’s image.

I found, without a guide or guidance, this Protected HolyLand Parnassian butterfly.

This is the kind of experience that I Love.

Jeff

 

The Finest Tawny Emperor?

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Filed under Emperor, Raccoon Creek State Park, PA

Tawny Hackberry butterfly photographed by Jeff Zablow at Raccoon Creek State Park, PA

Decades of searching for butterflies, and by now I’ve seen a lot. I remember many of those encounters, and this meet-up continues to be among my favorites.

Why does one of 50 trips to find and shoot butterflies stand out in one’s mind? When I came upon this Tawny Emperor butterfly, very early on a Raccoon Creek State Park morning, I was stunned. I do not exaggerate. This butterfly, basking in that early morning sun, was so so very handsome looking, with its complex wing markings and seemingly over-sized wings.

Tawnys are not very common. Hackberry Emperor Butterflies are much more common. I have written of this encounter here, before. It moved me, much. I realized that I was shooting my 50+ exposures, working to capture one of the finest Tawny Emperors ever!

This very image adorns our dining room wall. It so reminds me of the beauty that G-d creates, for us to note, and acknowledge.

Jeff