Flora of Mount Meron, Israel

My friend who lives in the Galil took me on the peak trail of Mount Meron in the northern part of Israel last week. I was thrilled to be greeted with these red anemones aka poppy anemone, known in Hebrew as kalanit (singular poppy). I thought they bloomed earlier, but she explained that Meron is up high, so the poppies bloom in May. What a treat! There were plenty of flora of Mount Meron in bloom.

Here is a sign for the peak trail on Mount Meron. We parked toward the top of the mountain, then we hiked around the mountain.

The views on Mount Meron are breathtaking. There was a bit of a haze, which my friend said is unusual. The skies are typically quite clear in late May.

I am guessing that these beautiful yellow flowers with insects on them are nurit (singular) in Hebrew – maybe ranunculus asiaticus in Latin. The English name might be asiatic buttercup.

I used this database to help identify the wildflowers: http://flora.huji.ac.il/browse.asp?action=identify

A guess for this yellow flower: yellow pea or yellow vetch. See http://www.flowersinisrael.com/Lathyrusaphaca_page.htm

Here’s how those yellow flowers were growing, in a great yellow bunch.

Thistles of various types are common in Israel; I suppose they do well in dry, hot climates.

A brown and white butterfly landed on this thistle.

This aster-like flower with light blue petals I’m guessing is a chicory flower. See: cichorium endivia

I will finish up with another view from Mount Meron. Mount Meron is known for the grave of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yohai. We visited the tomb site and surrounding village – that is a topic for another post.