Tuesday, May 15, 2012

SNOW AND FLOWERS ON MOUNT HERMON


While spring showed off with its impression everywhere around here and then said good by till next year, on Mount Hermon it just arrived. It is warm and pleasant at his feet, but reaching the top with the cable, the drop of the temperature can be felt. The peak is not overall bedecked with snow anymore, but in its crevices the white and icy frozen flakes remain, a heavy mass, two, three meters thick, slowly melting into big puddles.
It may seem improbable for flowers to appear. But they do, gracefully they brave the cold winds and open their buds to show their blithe and charm.
On this side the Hermon is about 2.200 m high. Last weekend it was sunny and clear up there, but quite chilly. The rays of the sun and the reflection of the snow can cause danger if the head and skin are not protected. My husband had to learn this the hard way as he experienced a serious sunstroke with shivers and fever in the evening after we returned home. He will be more prepared and clever next time. Since we had our dog with us, which can not be taken up with the cable, I did not join him and waited down in the warm sun with a book, mostly in my lap, I could not really concentrate on the story, because it is so lovely there, and closing my eyes and enjoying the silence was what I did after every two three sentences.
I hope you enjoyed my husbands hike. The flowers are, from up to down:
1. Duvdevan sarua, דובדבן שרוע, Creeping Cherry, cerasus prostrata
2. Carbolet makrina, כרבולת מקרינה, I did not find an English name for it, onobrychis corunta
3. Arir ha levanon, עריר הלבנון, Fortail Lily, eremurus libanoticus
4. Coridalit pegamit, קורידלית פיגמית, no English name either, corydalis erdelii
5. Geranion ha levnon, גרניון הלבנון, Lebanese Crane's Bill, geranium libani

Photographs by Uri Eshkar.

15 comments:

Dawn of LaTouchables said...

I am so happy Uri is well, and the photos he provided, with your graceful descriptions, proves once again what a diverse and beautiful place you have to explore!

ZielonaMila said...

Beautiful photographs, fantastic flowers and views. I am greeting

zsazsazsu said...

I didn't know you also had snow over there ... what a versatile country in flora and landscapes.

Anonymous said...

Coucou Yael
das wâre mich doch sauber und glatt wie dir ergangen.... bei soviel Schöhnheit müsste frau schon durch einen Obertriller gefesselt sein!!! und das wâre entschieden zu schade....
♥-liche Grûsse zu dir ; )
Brigitte

Eva said...

Das ist ja ein Gemaelde, das erste Foto! Wundervolle Landschaft, bei aller Kargheit -- und dann diese Blumen. -- Ja, was predige ich auch immer meinem Mann: Kappe auf den Kopf! Mein Ex-Mann hat mal in der Südtürkei einen Sonnenstich bekommen, die gleichen Symptome, und dabei ist er dort geboren! Man darf sich nicht mit der Sonne anlegen. Schön, dass es Deinem Gemahl wieder gut geht.

alice said...

wunderbare Bilder, die du uns hier zeigst! Ich hab schon lange keinen Schneee mehr gesehen.
Blauer Himmel wie bei dir hier hatten wir am Montag, dann ab Dienstag schon alles wieder trüb. Die Blumen sind wunderschön, besonders die auf dem dritten Bild, die Arir ha Levanon!
Liebe Grüsse Alice

glazedOver Pottery said...

A beautiful sight. Sorry to hear that Uri suffered at all, but glad you got a chance to enjoy when you could.

Mrs. D said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Mrs. D said...

Glad you are now feelign better!

Thank you so much for sharing these beautiful images.

Bob Bushell said...

I didn't know that there was snow in Israel, beautiful. I hope that Uri is better, and keep on with the camera.

TarracoStyle said...

da gusto ver tus fotografías, siempre nos enseñas lugares maravillosos: preciosas montañas, el deshielo y las maravillosas flores.
muchos besos

Hilde said...

I am so glad your husband is all right!!
Yael, I did not know there was snow in Israel. The photos are lovely, such beautiful flowers. A wonderful sight!

Have a nice weekend.
Hugs to you :)

Friko said...

I love those snowy crevasses, they are like white fingers reaching down into the valleys below. Beautiful flowers; corydalis is used in English too. I know several of the flower names, the plants grow in their cultivated forms in many English gardens.

Sensible of you to stay sitting in your chair, restful and contemplative. But it's good that your husband caught these beautiful pictures too. So say thank you to him.

stardust said...

One of the nicest things of this blog for me is to see different flora and geography. Snow in Israel might be unusual (in my understanding) but I understand snow at such high altitude. How would it be to look up at snow-capped mountains from the middle of the desert? We have to be careful at higher altitudes where the air is cleaner and thinner because exposure to UV rays is much greater. I love the third photo of such an interesting topography and the photos of flowers with the background of snow mountains.

Yoko

Unknown said...

The pics are so lovely - snow and flowers together are incongruous and beautiful! Sarah xxx