Looking for a wildflower hike in winter? In spring? In autumn? Or in summer?
On this page I’m gathering especially for you all the blooms that Israel has to offer.
Organized by month and type of flower.
The page is updated every month with more impressive blooms that I think are worth writing about.
If you have more recommendations, I’d love for you to write them in the comments.
Blooms by month:
- January: Almond, Crown anemone
- February: Almond, Crown anemone, mountain tulip, Blue lupine, Marsh iris
- March: Crown anemone, Gilboa iris, mountain tulip, Blue lupine
- April: Yellow flag iris, Gilboa iris
- May: Sunflower, Yellow flag iris
- June: Sunflower
- July:
- August: Sea squill
- September: Sea squill
- October: Sea squill, Persian cyclamen
- November: Narcissus
- December: Crown anemone, Narcissus
Bloom reports in Israel
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Spring Wildflower Hikes
Sunflower
The sunflower is a sturdy, tall flower (from half a meter up to 3 meters!), branching at the top and covered all over in short, stiff hairs. The flower head is large, 6 to 13 cm across, and borne singly at the top of the plant
Sunflower seeds are eaten and used to produce oil.
When do sunflowers bloom?
Sunflowers bloom in summer, from May to September.
The peak is usually in June.
Where are the best places to see sunflowers?
The yellow bloom happens all over the country and makes a perfect setting for photos.
- Near the Ein Afek Nature Reserve
- Opposite Kibbutz Mefalsim in the south
- Near Kibbutz Shluhot in the Beit She’an Valley
- Fields near Alonim
- Near Latrun
- At Kibbutz Hulda
- At Kibbutz Negba
- Between Sde Yoav and Kochav Michael
- Nitzanim junction
- At the southern entrance to Ashdod from Route 7
Remember that these are farm fields. Don’t leave litter, don’t trample the flowers and certainly don’t pick them.
Gilboa iris
The Gilboa iris usually blooms in March and April (depending on the year’s weather).
Each stem bears a single flower at its tip. The flowers range from lilac to dark purple.
When does the Gilboa iris bloom?
Because the Gilboa iris bloom depends on the weather, it changes from year to year.
In 2019 the bloom started at the beginning of March, whereas in 2020 it started later.
The bloom is usually impressive for a whole month.
Where are the best places to see the Gilboa iris?
The Gilboa iris can only be seen on the Gilboa ridge. The irises are scattered over most of the mountain’s peaks. Click here for hiking trails and spots where you can see impressive clusters of Gilboa irises in season.
Yellow flag iris
The yellow flag iris is a perennial, and in the spring months it produces a large, beautiful yellow flower.
The plant’s stem grows in fresh water and stands upright above it. It’s thick and green and can reach a height of 2 meters.
When does the yellow flag iris bloom?
It blooms in spring and early summer, in April and May.
Where are the best places to see the yellow flag iris?
It grows in the northern Jordan Valley, on the slopes of the Golan and in the coastal plain streams. Its main habitat is freshwater marshes and the banks of slow streams. I recommend visiting during the blooming months atEin Tina, a short wet trail that suits the whole family, or atthe Hula Nature Reserve.
Winter Wildflower Hikes
Marsh iris
The marsh iris (Iris grant-duffii) is an endangered iris that grows in Israel, Syria and Lebanon.
It has long (about 50 cm), narrow leaves that grow in a rosette around the flowering stem; they’re dark green and slightly twisted.
The flowering stem is about 40 cm tall and bears a single flower. The petals are yellow, tending to greenish or white. Dark veins made up of black or purple dots run along the center of the petals, concentrated in the throat of the flower.
When does the marsh iris bloom?
The marsh iris usually blooms in February.
Where are the best places to see the marsh iris?
In Israel the marsh iris grows in the Golan Heights.
You can see an impressive concentration of it at the Ahu Nov Nature Reserve. A loop path has been laid out in the reserve, starting at the parking lot on the access road to Hispin. The path passes between the reserve’s seasonal pools and an impressive bloom of marsh irises.
Almond
The almond is a small tree, usually less than four meters tall. It has deep roots, however, so it can grow well even in areas with little rain.
Its white and pink blossoms appear before the leaves. The egg-shaped fruit, with a brown shell, ripens from June to September.
When does the almond bloom?
Almond trees start filling with blossoms in January and bloom until the end of March.
Where are the best places to see almond blossoms?
It’s common in the Galilee, the Golan, the Carmel, Samaria and the Judean Hills.
I visited the almond orchards inthe Mateh Yehuda region, outside Netiv HaLamed-He.
More beautiful places to see and photograph almond trees in bloom:
- Along the road from Kfar Tavor to the Yavne’el Valley, there are extensive almond orchards.
- Ayalon-Canada Park.
- Sataf.
- Tzuba Hill.
- The village path in Komemiyut Forest.
Crown anemone
The anemone is a common flower in Israel.
The flower’s color is determined genetically, by the combination of genes from the father and the mother. Apart from red, the common colors are white, pink, purple, blue and shades in between.
When does the crown anemone bloom?
Anemones start appearing in December, and you can usually see carpets of them until March.
Where are the best places to see crown anemones?
Quite a few people travel all the way south to see carpets of anemones as part of the Darom Adom (Red South) festival.
You can see them in Shokeda Forest, at the Ruhama Badlands, Be’eri Nature Reserve and more.
But I have to say you don’t need to go that far to enjoy carpets of red.
I recommend visitingHorvat Midras or Hadera Forest, where you can enjoy wonderful red carpets right in the center of the country. In the north you can find purple and pink carpets of anemones in Emek HaShalom, at Menahat Megiddo or at Hurshat Tal.
Blue lupine
An annual plant, tall, with a blue flower, beautiful on its own and impressive as a carpet in the landscape.
When does the blue lupine bloom?
It blooms from February to May, peaking in February and March.
Where are the best places to see blue lupines?
There are impressive blue carpets of lupines in many parts of the country.
My favorite is Lupine Hill near Na’ura.
If you want to see an impressive bloom along with a fun trail, you can find carpets of them atNahal Tavor.
Autumn Wildflower Hikes
Sea squill
A common plant that stands out in the landscape, blooming at the end of summer and in autumn.
When does the sea squill bloom?
Sea squill usually blooms at the end of summer and in autumn.
Where are the best places to see sea squill?
Sea squill grows in every part of the country.
You can see beautiful clusters of it on the western part of the trail at Horvat Qarta or at Tel Yodfat.
Narcissus
The narcissus is one of the best-known, most beautiful and most widespread flowers in Israel.
There are about 65 species of narcissus, two of which grow wild in Israel: the common narcissus (Narcissus tazetta) and the autumn narcissus.
Note that the narcissus is a protected flower.
When does the narcissus bloom?
The narcissus blooms in autumn and winter, at the height of the rainy season.
Where are the best places to see narcissus?
Narcissus grows in every part of the country.
You can see beautiful clusters of it inthe Carmel Mountains, Nahal Dimona, and Narcissus Hill atthe Afek Caves.
Persian cyclamen
The Persian cyclamen is a common, widespread plant in Israel.
The cyclamen is a perennial with a large, round, flat tuber. Its flowers range from white to deep purple, including many shades of pink.
When does the Persian cyclamen bloom?
Cyclamen starts appearing in October, and you can usually see carpets of it until the end of March.
Where are the best places to see Persian cyclamen?
Cyclamen is common in Israel.
In winter you can see it on any shaded trail or in any shaded forest.
I love seeing cyclamen in the area of Ramot Menashe.
There’s a wide variety of them near Nahal HaShofet.
And if that’s not enough for you, you can visit Cyclamen Hill, near the Gilad Reservoir.
