creative jewish mom

A Visit To Mount Meron And The Seasonal Rain Pool

This past Passover we had the very great pleasure of at long last visiting the top of Mount Meron, the very mountain that comprises our stunning view. We driven past the turn off to the Mount Meron National Park countless times, as it is on the way from our home to Nahariya, where 2 of my boys have been in Yeshiva for the past 4 years between the two of them. But you know how life is, the wonders of nature that are closest to home somehow don't get the attention they deserve! And boy were we surprised, not only because we didn't even know that this amazing rain pool existed, but because it was truly one of the most special places I've had the great honor to visit. Something about the mountaintop location, the red soil, the fact that we were alone, well mostly (more on that later) and that it was a total surprise to boot. WOW, WOW, WOW. I can't wait to go back next winter when it will be fuller, or even this fall to see how it looks before the rain fall. In any case, if you have a chance, do visit this amazing spot and if you need help in advance finding it (because I have not seen it documented anywhere, even on the National Parks website) just ask, happy to help! For most of you, enjoy the photos, and it is my great pleasure to share with you our beloved land.

Wildflowers Bloom On Mount Arbel, Israel In The Spring

On our visit to Mount Arbel, just a 40 minute or so drive from our home in Northern Israel, we were in awe of the views, which you can see here, and in awe of the archeology, some of which you can see here, though I also realized that this was indeed a very special place as far as nature and ecosystems are concerned, as it is a plateau mountain just above the lowest fresh water lake in the world, which means all kinds of things. It is home to a diversity of plants, birds, and cliff-dwelling animals, and I did discover on the National Parks website that in fact there is a specific snail that lives on on Mount Arbel, and is unique to Mount Arbel, called Cristataria genezerethana; there are also rare plants like the bladder senna (colutea istria), rock scrophularia (Scrophularia xylorrhiza), and the wallcreeper (Tichodroma muraria). Addtionally there is a bird that over-winters on Mount Arbel, and looks like a red butterfly in flight as well as nesting birds of prey, and many more.

While I did not identify any of these rare plants on our trip, I did take note of all the wonderful little wildflowers in bloom, which I am sharing with you here, enjoy!

Tiny Spring Wildflowers In Northern Israel

There is nothing quite like coming upon a patch of colorful wildflowers in Northern Israel. I'll admit, the wildflowers that we saw in Sweden two summers were pretty amazing as well, but these flowers are close to home, and very much a part of our lives, well my life anyway. I look forward to the first signs of Spring, and the the changing of the guards in the meadows as one species after another has its moment in the sun. This year I caught the barbary nut (poor man's iris) in bloom in great quantities that I'd never witnessed before, though within a couple of weeks they were gone....While most folks recognize and appreciate the red anemones and red poppies that are native to our area, I think it is the little flowers that just don't get enough attention. So, dear readers, here I present to you the little wild flowers in bloom. Well most of them are little, shhhh the cyclamen are medium sized, but I won't mention it if you don't. Enjoy!

Red Crown Anemones In Bloom In Northern Israel!

The gorgeous red crown anemones, that are natives in certain regions in Israel, are in bloom, well technically they were in bloom, as they are dwindling quickly. The truth is that these beauties can begin blooming here and there as early as December, with the quantities seen here happening in March. I took these photos of this spring delight a good month ago, and was just too busy with Passover prep to share them with you then. Sorry about that, and hopefully when the red poppies bloom I'll share those photos with you in a timely manner! Yes red anemones and red poppies are not the same thing, though many folks confuse them. They may be difficult to tell apart, but the leaves are different, with the poppie boasting larger leaves, and blooming starting in March. So if you see red poppy like flowers in April chances they are poppies!

In Hebrew the anemone flower is called a kallanit, and while I never made the connection myself, this is (quite obviously) because the flowers are beautiful like a kalla, a bride! And funny enough while in English all the red flowers are referred to as poppies, in Hebrew all the red flowers are referred to as kallanit, which is correct at least until March. So friends, learn the names of the wild flowers that grow in your area, so that you can identify them! I just picked up a whole set of nature guides for Israel, and it was the best little present to myself, as I now have all that info handy, like now! Okay, lets take a look at the blooming crown anemone in the pine forrest area just 7 minutes or so from my house, so thankful for that!

Take A Walk In An Olive Grove In Northen Israel!

We are in the middle of an extreme heat wave which means it is even too hot at 6pm for my usual walk which takes me through a lovely old olive grove, so I thought I'd share with you some photos I took a few weeks ago on one of those end of the day walks! Come along, it will be lovely!

Olive trees are native to the Mediterranean region (as well as parts of Africa and Asia) and both olive oil and olives play a great role in the Mediterranean diet. Not to mention that olive oil was the oil lit in the menorah in the Beit HaMikdash, and is now used by many when lighting the Chanukah menorah. Olive trees are seen dotting the hills all over Israel, and some of them have huge trunks, meaning they are hundreds of years old. There is an olive tree in town that is said to be 800 years old, and its trunk is practically a little house! Olive trees are also evergreens, so they basically look the same year round, except when bearing olives (which is really only noticable when you are close up) or flowering with tiny flowers in the Spring. While some trees have a uniform shape, olive trees come in many shapes and sizes, as you will see on our little walk through the olive grove!

Queen Anne's Lace In Bloom Everywhere In Northern Israel

I love witnessing the yearly cycle of the fields and hillsides just outside our front door, and the brilliant cascade of color sometimes associated with that! In the spring vivid green becomes hills of rolling yellow, then dotted by red and white, and then comes all things purple, like thistles of all kinds (which I must photograph this coming week) and now we are enjoying a dense bloom of Queen Anne's lace, otherwise known as wild carrot, bird's nest, and bishop's lace. Daucus carota, is its real name, and is a white, flowering plant, with tall stocks and a very interesting flower. Yes, it is a weed, but a lovely one, whose silhouette at sundown is very striking indeed. Common to many temperate areas of the world, most of you, who have taken time to observe the weeds, will be familiar with this beauty, who is actually edible! Lets take a quick look at the Queen Anne's lace plant I've been enjoying on my evening walk, shall we?

Enhancing Your Children’s Creativity Through Connecting To Nature

Above: Pomegranite tree in bloom in Northern Israel on June 4th, 2020

Fostering your children's creativity is something that starts at home. Online classes and art books can definitely help boost your child's creativity, but at the end of the day there's nothing like getting in touch with nature to really get creativity flowing. I can say personally that since I've been taking nature walks roughly four times a week my creativity is bursting at the seams, and even though I've been taking exactly the same walk over and over there is always so much to see if you just open your eyes to the beauty of nature.

With that in mind, below are a few pointers on getting your kids in touch with their creativity through their relationship with nature.

Red Poppies And White Daisies In Bloom In Northern Israel

I love sharing with you all the beautiful seasonal blooming and bearing of fruit of native species here in Israel, and so of course the blooming of the red poppies, a month late this year, is on the list of things to share. I previously wrote about poppies in bloom on a hillside near my home here, but then I recently came across another patch of dense blooms and just had to photograph it! I took these photos a week plus ago, and fortunately as we are now experiencing a heat wave that has certainly led to the demise of these beauties. And the weather has been so hot that even an evening walk isn't possible, which I miss so very much, sigh. By the time I get out again for a walk in nature I'm quite sure that all the tall purple thistle will be in bloom, so we can look forward to that, though of course the red poppies, especially when paired with tiny white daisies are truly special. Enjoy!

Wild Red Poppies In Bloom In Northern Israel!

At long last, after a thankfully very very wet winter, the beloved red poppies are in full bloom! Truthfully, they are about a month or so late, and not nearly as prolific as usual, but lovely nonetheless. After a long walk in the area and only spotting sparse areas of poppies here and there, I came across a hillside, just a minute from my house, full of vibrant red poppies in bloom! Wow, so beautiful, and so of course I just had to take lots of photos to share with you!

These red poppies, are natives to Northern Israel, though it turns out that there are several species of red flowers that look very similar, and I'll admit, even I've been confused, as everyone calls all the red flowers one name, poppies in English, and calanit in Hebrew. These species do not bloom coincidentially but sequentially, beginning with the Anemones, and followed by the tulips, Asiatic ranunculi, and poppies, spanning the spring months with red showy flowers, the floral glories in fact, of Israel. These flowers have a similar appearance in shape and color and from a distance they may easily be confused. Now that I've done a tiny bit of research to clarify, it turns out that the flowers here are poppies, though in the past I have certainly photographed red flowers that are anemones, and who, I now know, have a much larger black center with a  white ring around that center. Phew, that poppy/anemone issue has really been bugging me! Okay, lets take a closer look at the red dotted hillside, come along now........

Almond Trees In Bloom In Northern Israel, Just Like In Van Gogh's Painting!

Here in Northern Israel where we are blessed to be living close to nature, the yearly blooming of the almond trees is something that brings great joy! The almond tree is the first tree to bloom, and as fruit bearing tree it is one of the trees whose New Year we celebrate on the Jewish holiday of Tu B'Shevat.

Every year we await the first blooms, the kids arrive home with reports on the status of the trees, and it is something mentioned among friends and neighbors. Why? because it is truly a joyful sight, in the middle of the winter, when all the other plants are still sleeping, to see white and light pink blossoms dotting the hills! While the first trees bloomed several weeks ago, there are still many with closed buds, so I was able to capture some of this loveliness today to share with you. Granted, the trees are more beautiful when the sky is blue, so I'll give it another try soon, but in the meantime, enjoy!