Apollo at Gotse Delchev

Gotse Delchev's sheltered position in the Mesta valley, cupped between the Pirin and western Rhodope ranges, creates a warm basin where the Apollo can be found alongside Clouded Apollo, Camberwell Beauty, Balkan Copper and Pearl-bordered Fritillary. Photographers joining the Bulgarian Mountain Butterfly Macro holiday visit this area in July, when the species is on the wing. The meeting of two mountain systems here makes for a distinctive backdrop, well worth incorporating into wider habitat shots of this striking white-winged species.