The building industry, highway infrastructure and the proliferation of all-terrain vehicles can result in the loss of precious habitats, which can lead to the endangerment of whole species and even extinction. One of the species that fights back is the bright yellow Sternbergia (called helmonit in Hebrew). This beautiful flower chooses a rough terrain in which to grow, while thriving in the hard-to-reach rocky slopes. The plant is a geophyte, which means it is perennial and grows from a large bulb that is buried relatively shallow underground. Every year between October and December an impressive bright-yellow flower peeks up from the ground surface. It opens up and immediately starts to attract insects for the necessary pollination. The Sternbergia will grow alone and is found in relatively large concentrations throughout Israel, from the Golan to the Negev. The locations of these concentrations are known to nature lovers, of whom many venture out in the autumn to enjoy them. The flower's preferred pollinators are butterflies and wild bees. After pollination the flower produces a black seeds. Scattered on the ground, these seeds have a small, oily part that offers to ants a rich, tasty food. The ants collect the seeds and take them to their nests, in effect planting them underground. This is a clever mechanism to spread the seeds and protect them from the elements. It is easy to fall in love with this wonderful flower once you see it for yourself. You can still find them on Mount Tabor, in Rosh Pina and near Herodion. Next autumn, from September to October, you will find them blossoming on Mount Meron; in the Hazeka ridge of the Golan, near Lehavim and in the Negev. Detailed routes can be found easily on the Internet. Luckily for the flower and for us, the citizens of Israel are doing their best to preserve the beautiful Sternbergia.
(photo credit: ITSIK MAROM)