Israel is home to more than twenty different kinds of orchids and at Mount Keta in addition to a large variety of wildflowers, a high concentration of orchids can be found, some of them are very rare in this country.
Orchis papilionacea - סחלב פרפרני
Orchis italica - סחלב איטלקי
The Dactylorrhiza romana - אצבענית רומאית is the only yellow orchid in Israel and it grows exclusively on this particularly hill in the photo, on the slopes of Mount Keta.
Orchis italica - סחלב איטלקי
Orchis anatolica - סחלב אנטולי
There is always big excitement in looking for orchids and of course even more so in finding them. Oh that joy! The shouts: I got one! Me too! Here is another one! Where? Which kind? Wow!
They are too beautiful not to get all crazy about them - they are special and marvelous - we love them and cherish them. Sometimes they grow in big patches and their quantity is amazing, but often you really have to look for them, especially for the rare ones, to search carefully - but we are getting better each year in locating them!
Photos by Uri Eshkar
6 comments:
Can you pick them or are they protected flowers just like the Edelweiss in Switzerland ?
Whenever I visit your blog, Yael, I have the additional treat of a virtual visit to Israel...these pictures of the Golan Heights are gorgeous!
Hi Sandra,
they are very very very protected!!!
Most of the Israeli wildflowers are protected by law and you certainly may not pick them, you could get punished if you did and got caught. Once people have not been aware of how precious natures display is - but now through education, starting already at school, the acknowledging of the importance to care for it, is getting more and more into public awareness, together with the willingness to accomplish this task. The slogan for the children is: "Who loves me, doesn't pick me!"
A blessed country. How lucky we are -- we can take photographs, we don't have to pick the flowers! Just stand in awe and adore them -- as I do, looking at these absolutely breathtaking pictures.
I agree with Dawn :) your blog is a treat and a visual joy!
It's so great to know these wonders of Nature are well protected!!! And even if they weren't... I love to see flowers in their natural environment, they are too beautiful to have them "dead" in a vase! As Eva said, it's so great we can make them last forever through photographs!
They are marvellous, Yael :) So beautiful, I love the photos.
I agree with what's said above here; I too love flowers in their natural environment, so it's good they are protected.
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