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In thick fog I left the accomodation early this morning to drive to the Dusky Large Blue area for the third time. Although I was early, a lot of Germans were on their way too through the butterfly area and some of them were driving very fast. The first butterfly I found after a search of one hour.....he was sitting near the road and again I tried to catch him together with a German car. Unfortunately my favourite German car was not passing so I had to deal with other brands.  By the time I decided to go home, I entered an other meadow with some larval food plants which I had visited the second time and on which I did not find one single butterfly. Today, I immediately found two Dusky Large Blues on their larval food plants! Remarkable that in three visits I found them widely spread. One of the two butterfies were sitting in front of Bird’s-Foot Trefoil which gave a special yellow background. 
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Funny, how sometimes things happen. Since years I was hoping to find the Scarce Large Blue and Dusky Large Blue during a holiday. I remember how I was searching in Austria in 2008 for them in area’s with Great Burnet (larval foodplant of both species).
Again my alarm clock went off early today and after a 25 km drive I arrived at the Dusky Larg Blue area......a road with Great Burnet. Photographing butterflies was very risky as most people were driving very fast and the road was too small for two cars. In the first place I thought that this species was only living next to this road but some later I entered a meadow in which I also found resting butterflies and a lot of Great Burnet. As I noticed yesterday some more larval foodplants on the other side of the meadow I assume/hope that this group has a 'safe' habitat.  On the hottest day this year (36 degrees), I arrived in the southern part of Germany near the Austrian and Czech border. It’s a beautiful area but I immediately noticed that every meadow and slopes has been mown. No wild flowers around the accommodation or nearby! Yesterday evening, after having a tastefull pizza in the rain under a sun screen the weather changed. This morning it was very foggy and I started photographing alpaca’s in the fog in case it would be again a butterflyless day (= not photographing butterflies).....but fortunately it turned out differently from what I had expected. Driving to the Czech border at the ‘Dreisessel’ point, on 1250 m above sealevel, I noticed some wild small fields near the road; immediately I found a lot of butterflies....I almost stepped on a resting Dark Green Fritillary which flew away unfortunately. I found mostly erebia’s but also some other fritillaries, whites and two Purple-edged coppers.
As it was still foggy it was a challenge to photograph butterflies as at this height it was windy; the left one is taken an exposure of 1/100 sec. and the right one with 1/30 sec.  Large Ringlet (Erebia euryale), Canon 7D, tripod, remote release, 180 mm, 1/30 sec, F9, ISO100 Tomorrow morning I will use the car again for hopefully a good second catch!
Before my last visit to the Alcon Blue last week, I had some photos in mind which I couldn't realize due to the bad weather conditions. As since wednesday the summer has returned, I rescheduled my agreements for a last visit to the heath area. This morning my alarm clock went off early again and it was a joy to be out on this beautiful place with some fog and a perfect sunrise!  Alcon Blue (Phengaris alcon), Canon 7D, tripod, remote release, 180 mm, 1/6 sec, F9, ISO100 After a night without much sleep, today my day started early in a nature area to search for the Alcon Blue. In my last blog I wrote that this species disappeared in the area which I visited for years.
 Finding the Alcon Blue was the first present for me this special day!
The good....7 or 8 years ago I visited an area to find the Scarce Large Blue but without any success. Very spontaneously, yesterday in the afternoon I decided to pay that area a visit again. Normally I avoid visits on Sunday but as the next holiday is coming soon, I took this opportunity and together with Bas Mandos we left early this morning. Passing the first fields we noticed a beautiful red fox.  Despite the bad weather during the night we made the right choice as immediately after entering the area we found the first Scarce Large Blues on Great Burnet (the larval foodplant). Due to the warm weather (at 04.30 it was 19 degrees) the first butterfly flew away. Fortunately the others were more cooperative and the more we photographed the more we found; at least between 30 and 40 butterflies! Next to this special species with its special requirements (larval foodplant together with ants) a lot of other butterflies were resting and/or flying around in this beautiful area.
 The ugly.....it's me when I'm looking into the mirror....weeks with not much sleep have left its marks.
 More by accident, I discovered a field with blue cornflowers and some sunflowers. When I was passing this field (without camera) I immediately saw the images in my head which I would make with the combination of blue and yellow. Some later, just before the football match started and a lot of orange dressed people were on their way, I returned to this field with my camera. It was a beautiful evening with a slight sun and while I was searching for the perfect sunflowers between the blue I heard Grace Slick's voice in my head 'When the truth is found to be lies and all the joy within you dies'....a song which represents the flower power period and a lot of great music/musicians. It was a joy to be out almost alone and to find some white butterflies between the flowers. These kind of fields (which has been sown as part of a nature recovery project) we might have more!  Don't you want somebody to love Don't you need somebody to love Wouldn't you love somebody to love You better find somebody to love  ©Jefferson Airplaine/Somebody to love
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Jibt dir dit Leben mal een Buff, denn weene keene Träne. Lach Dir'n Ast und setz Dir druff und baumle mit de Beene.
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