Touring Israel with a tour guide

The carob tree (Ceratonia siliqua)" 🌿 The carob thrives across much of Israel: in the Galilee, on the slopes of the Jerusalem hills, along the coastal plain & in semi-arid valleys. Its adaptability means it tolerates both rocky, chalky soils & coastal exposures. 📏 Mature carob trees typically reach heights of 10-15 m, with a broad, semi-spherical crown, a sturdy trunk & rough bark 🍂 The carob’s flowering season begins in autumn (September-November). The pods then take up to a full year to develop & ripen, with harvesting commonly in late summer into early autumn of the following year. The pods are thick, leathery-skinned legumes containing a sweet pulp & hard seeds. Its edible pods were used historically (and still are) for food-products & as fodder, today the seeds yield locust-bean gum used in food-industry processes. Jewish Sages taught that Honi the Circle Maker once met a man planting a carob tree. “When will it bear fruit?” asked Honi. “In 70 years...

🦎 The Mediterranean Chameleon (Chamaeleo chamaeleon) 🌳 Best known for its colour-changing ability & long tongue, y ou’ll find it from the coastal plain to the Galilee hills, often in olive groves, shrubland or open woodland & even gardens. It prefers places where it can climb, hide & ambush its prey eg branches, bushes & low trees. 🍽️ It uses its long sticky tongue to catch insects like flies, crickets & beetles & sometimes even tiny lizards. It waits patiently, blends into the foliage & strikes with precision. ⚠️ Despite its camouflage, it faces danger from large birds, snakes & domestic cats. The bigger threats, however, are habitat loss, road traffic & collection for the pet trade, which reduce its numbers. #ImagineIsraelTours #SimonOsterTourGuideIsrael #FloraAndFauna #IsraelTourism #TouringIsrael #TourGuideIsrael #IsraeliWildlife #EcoIsrael #IsraelNature #MediterraneanEcosystem #WildlifeEducation #BiodiversityIsrael #ExploreIsrael...

The Egyptian Mongoose (Herpestes ichneumon) Fast as lightening when disturbed, the Egyptian mongoose is one of Israel’s most fascinating wild mammals. 🐾 🌍 In Israel, it roams across the coastal plains, Galilee, Carmel & Jordan Valley, thriving near watercourses, reedbeds & scrubland. It prefers areas rich in cover where it can move unseen, often close to farmland or woodland edges. 🍽️ It feeds on rodents, snakes, birds’ eggs, frogs, insects & fruit. It can raid hunt venomous snakes, making it one of nature’s finest pest-controllers. Sadly a mongoose attacked one of our neighbours' chickens a couple of months ago, leaving only one alive. 🦅 The mongoose has few natural enemies in Israel; large raptors & wild dogs pose some danger, but habitat loss & road accidents are its greatest threats today. 🌿 In ancient Egypt, it was revered for its snake-hunting skill & often linked to solar deities; a symbol of light conquering darkness. Its Hebrew name, נמייה מצרי...

✨ The Madonna Lily (Lilium candidum); elegant white blooms & deep symbolic resonance. 🌱 You’ll find it growing on rocky slopes, cliffs & shaded north-facing ledges, especially in the Galilee, Carmel & Judean hills. It usually flowers from late spring into early summer, filling the air with a gentle, sweet fragrance. ⚠️Sadly, this lily is endangered in Israel, threatened by over-grazing, habitat destruction & competition from invasive plants. 🦋 Bees, moths & pollinators are drawn to its scent & shape. Its white petals reflect moonlight, making it visible at dusk - a helpful trait for nocturnal pollinators. 🌸 It is called “Madonna Lily” partly because of its association with purity in Christian iconography, it also appears in ancient Jewish sources & was used as a motif in historic coins & temple decorations. Its image survives in biblical poetry & art alike. #ImagineIsraelTours #SimonOsterTourGuideIsrael #FloraAndFauna #IsraelTourism #TouringIs...

🦟 The Asian Tiger Mosquito 🦟 Beautiful name, not-so-beautiful reputation! The Asian Tiger Mosquito (Aedes albopictus) is one of Israel’s most recent arrivals. Native to Southeast Asia, it reached Israel in the early 2000s, hitching a ride in shipments of tyres & ornamental plants. Now, it’s found across much of the country, from the coastal plain & Galilee valleys to urban gardens & even Tel Aviv balconies. 🌿 It thrives in warm, humid areas & breeds in tiny pools of standing water - even a bottle cap or plant saucer is enough. Unlike many mosquitoes, it’s active during the day, not just at night. It’s not just an itchy nuisance; the Asian Tiger Mosquito can transmit viruses such as West Nile, Chikungunya & Zika. Its spread is linked to rising global travel & warmer temperatures. 🕊️Nature helps a little; dragonflies, bats, frogs & even some fish feed on mosquito larvae. But human help is crucial: removing standing water & community awareness are the b...

  The olive tree. (Olea europaea) In biblical times, the Land of Israel was covered with forests & fruit trees. They kept the air clean, the soil was healthy & the Land full of life. But over hundreds of years, as different empires invaded & occupied here eg Romans, Mamluks, Ottomans, most trees were cut down. Wood was needed for ships, weapons & even train tracks. By the early 1900s, nearly 98% of the forests were gone & the Land began to dry out. For the last 120 years, Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael - Jewish National Fund (KKL-JNF) has been working to bring the forests back to life, planting over 250 million trees all across Israel; they now care for about 300,000 acres of woodland. These forests help clean the air, stop soil erosion & provide shade, food & fresh oxygen for everyone. Few trees capture the spirit of this Land quite like the olive tree. (Olea europaea). enduring & deeply symbolic, it has grown here for over 6,000 years. The olive tree was...

📚  This Day in History: The Birth of Hebrew Education   On this day in 1905, a small group of visionary teachers in Ottoman-era Jaffa opened the first Hebrew high school in the world, a bold experiment in reviving an ancient language as the living voice of a modern nation. That school was the Gymnasia Herzliya, named in honour of Theodor Herzl, & it became one of the cornerstones of the Zionist cultural revival. It was designed by architect Yehuda Magidovich & it stood on Herzl Street. Completed in 1910, the building stood right in the heart of the new city of Tel Aviv - founded in 1909. The striking towered structure was among the city’s first public buildings; it became iconic with its tall central tower, arched windows & oriental-European style, symbolising both the rebirth of Hebrew culture & the optimism of early Zionist pioneers. It even appeared on Israel’s 50-shekel banknote, commemoratin...