I twittered that I had captured a moose in the mist in Sweden. Herewith the result. For those who expected a frame-filling moose in its utter beauty might be disappointed. But for those who are familiar with my style, know that this is the image I am looking for. A bit mystic, lots of space and monochrome colorspace. It was a moment of victory when this cow appeared from the mist. By thorough terrain exploration, tracking and knowledge of the behavior of the species I could reasonably predict where and when I had the biggest chance of an encounter. Getting up early, waiting and defying the cold did the rest. And a bit of luck of course.

Butterflies are faced with severe threads to their survival. This year I have a successful season for butterfly research. The good weather is persisting, making the butterflies, and me, active. Im impressed with the large numbers of Dark Green Fritillary at the airbase Deelen and the many Silver-studded Blue at the military training area of Vlasakkers. At the airbase it is a true explosion of butterflies, including small skippers like this one. Fortunately there is still a great amount of flowering plants providing nectar. Subtle colors and shapes make a nice atmosphere for doing fieldwork and for taking some last photos for my book. I am finalizing the manuscript at this moment. Check the Mission Nature-Facebook page for the latest news!

Cheers, Niels