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Unfortunately my holiday in Austria is over and I’m back in the Netherlands. I miss the friendly people, the good food, the mountains, the steep hills, the rough nature and the ‘Klamms’. On my last day I visited an other ‘Klamm’ (kind of canyon or gorge with waterfall) and with 30 degrees and carrying my photo stuff it was a ‘sweaty’ climb. On my way up some White Admirals were flying around but it was a mission impossible to photograph them as they were sitting on my tripod, on my backpack, on my head, on my fingers and on my arm.....  After a heavy walk I was looking around on a wide path when I suddenly saw a Purple Emperor who was drinking in front of me. Due to my movement the butterfly flew up into the tree. Looking at him in the tree an other Purple Emperor came passing by and landed in the creek bed......this time it was a male and every time I moved, he opened his wings and the blue reflection became visible.  It’s funny because I searched for this species some years ago and never saw one and now, in Austria, I met them in every ‘Klamm’. It’s a pity that these large and beautiful butterflies are living up in the trees!
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Today I returned to the canyon (Raabklamm) which I mentioned in my former blog to photograph the Grass Snakes and the Yellow-bellied Toad’s. Because of the high summer temperatures I had the hope that not too much people would be visiting this place. After a walk I arrived at the first mud pool and noticed that half of the water was evaporated. A tiny little Grass Snake was hunting and just at the moment I wanted to touch my shutter.....the first two people were passing and due to their heavy moves no Grass Snake were left! Again and again people came passing by so after a while I gave up and walked into the wonderful canyon as a lot of butterflies were flying around. I was lying on the mud path for the White Admiral, which was in fact not cooperative when suddenly a bigger butterfly landed on the path in front of me. Wow.....it was just if I was dreaming......a female Purple Emperor was sitting in front of me!  When I came too close she flew up but always landed nearby.  Unfortunately, again three people were walking through the path.....three elder men came and one of them started a discussion with me as he was convinced that this butterfly was the Poplar Admiral. Next to it, without questioning anything, he started photographing this butterfly in front of my tripod and chased her away up into the trees........
Fortunately I could photograph 4 hunting Grass Snakes when I returned at the mud pool. This day started very early as I woke up before daylight by a kind of bombing sound. Very early I drove to the wildflower place on the hill and at arrival I found out what causes the bombing sound: hunters. As it was very cloudy I was asking myself why I was out so early but a few minutes later I found my first present, a Heath Fritillary, and I knew why I was that crazy. 
Present number two was a Marbled White which was enjoying the first sunlight. 
In the afternoon I visited a Canyon not far away and as it was a heavy walk I took no camera with me. I saw at least hundred White Admirals, a lot of Erebia’s, a Purple Emperor, a few Silver-washed Fritillaries and a lot of Comma Butterflies. Due to the heavy rain of the past weeks some mud pools were left on the path in which a lot of Yellow-bellied toad’s, tadpoles and six little Grass snakes were living. Of course I will return soon with my camera.
The Hungarin Glider is still gliding around the shrubs but I capitulated. No more black and white butterflies for me! In the meantime I went up early and in the eastern part of Austria early is really early! The total score of photographed butterflies is 6 (5 species, excluding the both butterflies from my former blog) and a surprising one was a large undamaged female of the Orange-tip. The number of butterflies is really disappointing! A few days ago I visited a Moor area which is popular because of their fritillaries.....indeed, during my visit I saw two flying fritillaries. This Moor area is up on the ‘alm’ and on my way I noticed a very colourful flowered area full of smelling flowers like Thyme, Marjoram and Sage but also Lucerne, Sainfoin, all kinds of Clover, Campanula, Rhinanthus and much more. Where the forest starts I also found a lot of Cyclamen and Orchids like the Dark Red Helleborine (Echinacea atrorubens) and the Red Helleborine (Cephalanthera rubra). Despite all these delicious butterfly flowers there are almost no butterflies. Yesterday I found one Orange-tip and one Common Blue and today I found a Marbled White which had enough of me after 20 photos and two Wood Whites. Together with the Ringlet from Monday I 'catched' 6 butterflies! This is my butterfly from today, a Black and White Butterfly:   For the first time I have an other holiday than I have usually; I’m surrounded by a lot of horses, pony’s, cattle and flies instead of butterflies. Although, yesterday at arrival, I immediately saw a black and white butterfly on the shrubs near the accommodation and I assumed that it was the White Admiral. Unfortunately I was in a hurry as I needed to do some shopping’s. In the early evening I saw a white butterfly flying into a shrub with a lot of white leaves..... I required some time to find this Large White butterfly and looking through my viewfinder for one second I was thinking that he is wearing a ‘Lederhose’ as there was something wrong with his wing.  Due to the summer weather the Black and White butterflies were up early this morning and with an unpacked camera I tried to photograph them. Immediately I noticed that this was not the White Admiral but an other species. From my book I learned that it is the Hungarian Glider (Neptis rivularis) and like his brother, the White Admiral, he is not interested in getting immortalized on photo.  For the next two weeks it will be ‘my’ challenge to photograph the Hungarian Glider and to find places WITH butterflies as the meadows nearby are used for intensive farming.
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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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