After the winter rainy season is a great time to get out and tour the land of Israel. The Judean desert is a half hour from Jerusalem, in fact, it is sometimes called the Jerusalem desert, because the city is on the edge of the desert. A great way to explore the Judean desert is by taking a jeep tour. At this season, the desert is still green from the winter rains and there are many wildflowers. It is really something to see the desert bloom. I took the opportunity to shoot these flowers at the overlook across from Mar Saba. Thanks to Dr. Ori Fragman-Sapir of the Jerusalem Botanical Garden who has helped me identify them.

This is also the season of the children of Israel’s exodus from Egypt, the beginning of their wandering in the desert which brings them to the land of Israel. The Passover seder ends with the intention of Next year in Jerusalem so hopefully you will plan to visit in the coming year.

If you haven’t heard of the current invasion of locusts from Egypt into the south of Israel check out the article in Haaretz that includes a great Reuters photo of the pyramids at Giza, the view obscured by locusts.

While photographing flowers, Raanan, our jeep driver, pointed out a locust and I got a close-up photo, something to add at your Pesach seder when recounting the ten plagues: blood, frogs, lice, wild beasts, cattle disease, boils, hail, locusts, darkness, killing of first-born.

דם, צפרדע, כנים, ערוב, דבר, שחין, ברד, ארבה, חשך, מכת בכורות.