(Enlarge and see dewdrops sitting on top of the grass!)UPDATE: I meant to tell you that the rafeket or cyclamen is now Israel's national flower.
It is one of the first wildflowers to bloom when the winter rains start.
This year these flowers first appeared in mid-January.
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See also rakafot growing in a high stone wall--click here.
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A legend about the shy and graceful cyclamen, also called nezer Shlomo, meaning "the crown of Solomon," says that when Solomon became king he chose the cyclamen as a model for his crown.
Centuries later, when Jerusalem was conquered, the royal crown was stolen from the king's treasury.
The cyclamen bowed its head in sorrow, saying, "Only when a son of David again ascends the throne and the crown is returned to Jerusalem shall I once again stand erect."
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Till today, the cyclamen droops its head.
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Natures way to smile.
ReplyDeletePlease have a good Thursday.
daily athens
Is that a cyclamen growing in the wild?? Here I have to pay close to $10.00 US for a potted one. They are very temperamental and only like certain conditions.
ReplyDeleteReally enjoy reading your blog and learning about daily life in Israel. The situation in Egypt must be rather unsettling.
Linda in Massachusetts
I love cyclamen! This is such a pretty picture. We used to have cyclamen as house plants in Chicago. I don't see cyclamens in Hawaii.
ReplyDeleteWishing the best to the people of the Middle East!!!!
ReplyDeleteAloha from Honolulu
Comfort Spiral
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I love that saying ~ cyclamen are such exquisite little gems
ReplyDeleteI like Robert's comment!
ReplyDeleteRobert, "Nature's way to smile"--I agree with VP, this saying of yours is a wonderful way to think about flowers!
ReplyDeleteLinda, you pay $10 per potted cyclamen??!! Here they grow rampant in the rocky hills. Israel would be a rich country if we had ten dollars for every cyclamen.
And of course it is forbidden to pick them.
Kay, I can't imagine them as house plants.
Cloudia, thank you. It is a difficult time of uncertainty.
Dianne, "gems"--another good name for these things that come from the earth.
VP, me too!
Yes, they are potted plants here too, with all sorts of cultivated ruffles and color shifts. You are lucky to see them sprouting and thriving naturally. Beautiful leaves too!
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