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One of those teeny tiny little butterflies that might be a sapphire or might not and my only reference for Bhutanese blues doesn't actually show the upper wings for most of the species.
I do love how every flash of blue fluttering by could be something totally new to my eyes.
@ewen@photog.socialSeconds later I got a cheeky glimpse of a Heliophorus (Sapphire).
I feel I've wasted my life when instead I could be sitting in a cow paddock at 2900m looking for little flappy blues.
What an amazing day! It was coolish and very damp this morning in Trongsa. I spotted one of these fellas just posing, next to the female. Then saw another. And as the morning progressed I realised they were everywhere :)
I was too slow to capture the female. They flitter off quickly. But the boys just hang about and show off their colours.
Azure Sapphire
(Heliophorus moorei)
Hey @SeanBreslin I was thinking about your comments regarding butterflies maybe are slower and less flitty in the morning.
Had an amazing hour with a bunch of Azure Sapphires today. A few of the boys were very sluggish in the damp air, just after the rain cleared. Not sure if they were slow, or just "on show" for the girls.
I did see one of the girls up close, but I was too slow to get the shot!
I really wish I didn't have to make a living and instead could just wander the Himalayas looking for meadows where butterflies enjoy the morning light.
Azure Sapphire here, male.
Right now I'm sitting in my room at the guesthouse. The wind is racing through a row of pine trees outside.
I'm exhausted from chasing butterflies, can barely keep my eyes open. I keep drifting off to sleep and dreaming about a world where everyone cares more about nature and habitats than the stock market.
I saw some totally amazing stuff these past few weeks. Just today alone as well, new little creatures I had no idea existed. I wish all of social media was enthralled with butterflies instead of influencers.
Another thing happened today. I rescued a tiny butterfly from a spider web and then he landed on my hand briefly, as if to say thanks, before flittering away.
A little reminder that I wrote a few words about how I shoot these images, and why Bhutan is such a peach of a place for butterfly photography.
@ewen @SeanBreslin Butterflies can't generate their own body heat, so it's a well documented behaviour that they have to bask in the sun for a while to warm up their wing muscles for flight.
Which is why they tend to be slower and rest more in colder weather. Early morning when they are just coming out to bask is one of the best times to get good butterfly shots. Even fast flying species take a while to warm up.
@ewen
Beautiful thread. Sending you a London based Blue Holly back
Awwww lovely thank you!
@ewen your photos and storytelling are exceptional, I love all of it. 
@ewen You can; it's called retirement.
We like to joke that I can't afford to live until retirement but in ten years time that joke might not be so funny.
@ewen Well said. Namaste.