Rare foliage sprouts on charred land in North Israel
By Eli Ashkenazi
Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, a variety of foliage is sprouting from land charred by forest fires during the Second Lebanon War.
Hundreds of Katyushas which fell during the war spawned forest fires which burned for many days on the Naphtali Mountains west of Kiryat Shmona. Over the past few months, the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel has been surveying the still-charred ground to assess the potential for rejuvenation of the forests and natural woodlands and plan their treatment, with some surprising results.
As project leader Dr. Yuval Sapir toured the burned area, he discovered an unexpected denizen: a flower called rough-leaved michauxia.
"This is a rare flower in Israel, which has never been seen in the Naphtali Mountains. The flower, whose usual habitat is cliff can grow as high as 2.5 meters and its white flowers can reach a diameter of seven to eight centimeters, he adds.
The plant has been seen only in a few other areas of the country, The survey turned up another rare plant: Lachnophyllum noaeanum, a member of the aster family.
"There are only about 10 sites in Israel where it is found," Sapir said.
Yet another surprise were laurel trees, which are usually more at home in relatively moist environments in the Upper Galilee. Finding them on the slopes of the Naphtali mountains, a relatively hot, dry area, raises questions about the ability of this tree to adapt. Rare species of iris were also found.
The report of the rare blossoms is likely to draw flower-loving visitors to the site, but Sapir is not worried.
"The plants will not be harmed by their exposure," he said. "On the contrary, the more visitors there are, the easier it will be to raise public support for the site."
Rare foliage sprouts on charred land in North Israel
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