creative jewish mom

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!

Fields Of Red Poppies In The Kidron Valley, Jerusalem

Okay dear readers, here is another WOW moment that happened to me and my 13 year old son during our adventures in the Old City of Jerusalem this past Passover. While these amazing fields of red poppies in bloom in the Kidron Valley, just below the walls of the Old City, was something publicized on a poster, I did not see that poster (fortunately) and completely by accident we stumbled upon one of the most stunning displays of wild flowers I have ever seen in Israel, any I really just couldn't believe it. I also couldn't believe that while this is something that occurs each Spring, it was new to me. Wow, wow, wow. After a tour of an Arab village, called Kfar Shiloach, with armed guards  (more on that later) instead of going up with our group through the area now called The City of David, we started along a path that leads to the Valley of The Kings, and came upon these amazing fields in bloom. If you are in Jerusalem in the spring, don't miss it! And in the mean time, enjoy!

Lovely Weeds On The Old City Jerusalem Walls

During our 11 night stay in the Old City of Jerusalem, one of my favorite sites was the Ramparts Walk, NOT TO BE MISSED! And of course, as a lover of things botanical, I just had to photograph some of the weeds growing on the ancient walls. And guess what, my daughter (who had to speed ahead in order to catch a bus back up North and bring the rest of our Passover food from the freezer at home as we unexpectedly decided to stay in Jerusalem) took the very same picture of the very same weed. Such a proud parent moment! This weed looks very similar to a snap dragon, and likely is in the same famliy. Enjoy, and don't forget to keep your eyes open for weeds growing in unexpected places where ever you go!

Spring In Northern Israel On A Hike To Mount Tabor

Hello to Spring in Northern Israel. A cool and rainy Spring, but Spring nonetheless, as the wildflowers are out and the hills are green green green! I sprained my ankle quite badly just as the almond trees started to bloom, along with other wild flowers, and so this year I was unable to walk anywhere to take photos of this wonderful and glorious sight. Fortunately one of my adventurous nephews showed up for a visit along with some very lovely photos of a hike he'd taken to Mount Tabor just the day before. And so, with his permission, I just had to share some of the beauty of Northern Israel with you via his photos. I know, you thought Israel was just dessert and crumbling walls, but guess what it is not! And while I won't be getting out to enjoy the nature for the next few weeks, I think we will have the chance to enjoy the great outdoors during the week of Passover, can't wait!

The Fig Tree Awakens With Tiny Leaves And Fruit In Northern Israel

One sign that Spring has truly arrived is the tiny leaves and tiny figs that begin to appear on the sculptural bare branches of our native fig trees. The leaves are miniature versions of their larger selves, and just so very very sweet that I had to capture the magic on my camera. Enjoy the signs of Spring where ever you may be! And keep on reading to see the tree these leaves belong to!