Israel: Nature
-
Wild Red Poppies In Bloom For Passover!
Though the Jewish calender is lunar, and thus isn't static like the Gregorian calender, there is one thing that is a given: Passover must always occur in the Spring, yippee! In order to make this happen we even have to insert an entire extra month some years, and that extra month is always a second month of Adar, which is right before Nissan, the month in which Passover occurs. Why am I telling you this? Because one of my very favorite things to do during the week of Passover is to take some trips around Northern Israel, not far from home, to enjoy the gorgeous topography and to witness fields…
-
Migrating Cranes Flying Over Northern Israel
Two days ago my daughter called to me "Mommy, come quickly!" you won't believe it! To our great delight we witnessed the largest group of migrating cranes flying overhead. Not one group exactly but three, one after the other, each one larger than groups of cranes we generally see every Spring and Fall as they make their journey to and from Europe. I have shared our little observation of migrating cranes many times, and honestly, I still get just as excited as I did the first time I saw these magnificent creature migrating over Jerusalem when we lived there. And when you realize how large these birds actually are, it…
-
Red Poppies (Anemones, Actually) In Bloom In Northern Israel
Yesterday when I took a walk with my son in the nearby fields, thinking that I was going to photograph some Almond blossoms, I was surprised to find that our native red anemones, that everyone just calls poppies, are also in bloom, which is so very exciting every time! Dots of red peeking out from new green growth of Spring is so very lovely, and I know so many of you love getting a glimpse of nature here in Israel, up close and in person, so here we go!
-
A Rosh Chodesh Walk And Almond Trees Blooming In Northern Israel
On Rosh Chodesh, the first day of each Jewish month, my kids have a half day of school, meaning it is the perfect time to take a little nature walk, and especially since Spring is here, and this month is Adar, a very joyful one indeed, and walking in nature surely gives us joy. As it turned out, only my 11 year old was actually available to go with Mom, and while there were delays as always, I'm glad we made the effort to get out the door, and taking photos as the sun is going down can be quite lovely! Every year I post photos of the almond trees…
-
Pomegranates Ripening In Northern Israel
Yesterday evening when I was walking to my vegetable carving class, just a ten or so minute walk from my house, I suddenly came upon a few huge rambilng pomegranate trees full of not quite full size fruit, but getting there. Such an amazing sight that I had to stop and take a few photos to share with you! It is truly special to witness up close and in person the cycle of the fruit baring trees and vines that grow in our neighborhood, like pomegranates, grapes, olives, and of course almonds!
-
Migrating Storks (And A Few Egret) In Northern Israel
There is truly no sight quite as breathtaking as a flock of migrating white storks flying overhead! We saw a few of these twice yearly visitors on Shabbat, over our home, and today when we were on a small road trip in the area we witnessed several large flocks of white storks, and it was truly exciting, as always. I don't think I'll ever tire of spotting these migrating storks as they make their way home for nesting in Northern Europe, (in the Spring) or as they head down to Africa for the winter. There is just something so truly amazing about them, especially since they are quite large! We…
