Top of the Land
After picking a bunch of cherries to complete our breakfast we drove to the peak of Mount Hermon (Jabal A-Sheikh) - elevation 2,224m, which is accessible with chair lifts. It was a relatively hot day but still much more pleasant than the rest of the country - somewhere around 26c or so, with a very harsh sun yet a nice dry cool breeze ever so often.
The vegetation is somewhat sparse but very special and with聽many varieties聽growing on this mountain. Some plants can be found in other northern places (for example: the now protected Wild artichoke聽(Gundelia tournefortii) - 注讻讜讘讬转 讛讙诇讙诇, which grew in most parts of the country before), but others are endemic to this mountain alone, because of its exceptional conditions and placement. It is covered in snow all winter, and once it melts resembles a cool desert land, covered with white rocks and with no trees in sight. Dog roses (Rosa canina) are native to Israel, but are quite a rare sight otherwise. To find a bush in full bloom at the peak of Mt. Hermon was elating. Of course, it has a heavenly fragrance.
Up on the peak, there is a sense that many of the plants here has some mysterious medicinal value, for some very specific and possibly rare conditions. I am imagining a time when climbing the mountain on foot would be a great ordeal (well, it still is - but most people use the road and then the gondola!). People would only go up the mountain for an important mission set forth by a divine guidance, a royal order, or a great and pressing need to save someone's life from a rare illness...
This poppy (Glaucium oxylobum 驻专讙讛 拽专讞转/驻专讬讙讛 讞诇拽转 驻专讬), for example, is unique to Mt. Hermon and can't be found anywhere else in the country (but it can be found in high elevations - upwards of 1,100m - in the mountains of Turkey and Iran). I love its bright dual colours and contrasting "eyes". It blooms for a very long season - six months to be exact, from April when the snow melts, till the total dryness of September. There is a great variety between flowers, but they all share this startling, sudden contrasting colour change, and unusual display of three colours.
Salvia microstegia (the hairy big leaves with white flowers), the thistle-looking plant is Cousinia聽hermonis (拽讜住讬谞讬讛 讞专诪讜谞讬转), the yellow flowers are of聽Alyssum baumgartnerianum Bornm. (讗诇讬住讜谉 讞专诪讜谞讬), AKA madwort. It is not the only yellow flower found on Mt Hermon 聽- so don't confuse it with Lebanese St. John's Wort (Hypericum libanoticum) in Hebrew - 驻专注 诇讘谞讜谞讬, or with the two types of Achilea that grow there - Achillea biebersteinii (讗讻讬诇讗讛 拽讟谞转-驻专讞讬诐) and the endemic Achillea falcata (讗讻讬诇讗讛 讙驻讜专讛).
There might also be a type of catnip (谞驻讬转 拽讬诇拽讬转?) Nepata - of some kind that I'm yet to completely ID), or a horehound in the pic. Which also reminds me of the unusual Lebanese horehound (Marrubium libanoticum Boiss) - in Hebrew 诪专讜讘讬讜谉 讛诇讘谞讜谉/诪专诪专 讛诇讘谞讜谉, which is also a highly medicinal plant.
Israel & Syria - view from above. Where the green ends Syria begins... It's sad but true, due to over-forestation and roaming in Syria, and on the other hand much planting of trees all across Israel.
Lastly, here is me and Miss T standing against this dramatic backdrop.
