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| Trail Map |  Hike it with Google Earth | Terrain View |
| Distance: 2.7km | Time: 2 hours | Difficulty: Easy |
| Ascent: 70m |
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When fall sets in and cool days become more common than blistering hot ones, one question comes to mind – How much longer ‘till flower season? We’ve still got a while to go before December cyclamen and January anemones. But there’s one show-stopping flower that appears early on the scene: the Holmonit, or Sternbergia flower.
This bright yellow flower sprouts as if out of nowhere, in very select locations around the country. You won’t find them just anywhere. Usually, one must scout out and actively search for these blossoms. They are both rare and small. They grow individually, from underground bulbs. Despite their bright yellow color, they are difficult to notice from afar, as they tend to blend into the still dry and brown landscape.
Last week, we knew it was high time to get out there and chart a new Holmoniot hike. There are quite a few that we haven’t yet tackled. Since the Holmoniot season is so fleeting, we really only have time to hike one Holmoniot trail each year. So, although some of the reserves where these flowers grow are off limits due to the war, it was not difficult to locate a new trail to try. This year, we headed down to Yatir forest in the northern part of Southern Israel.
We decided to take our youngest son out of school for the day, so he could accompany us on our adventure. The short trail we planned at Yatir would be the perfect length for the three of us that morning. We’d have enough time to search high and low for flowers and have a leisurely picnic in the woods.
Here’s how we hiked this 2 kilometer circular Holmoniot trail at Yatir forest:
Into the Unknown
We pulled into Yatir Forest after less than an hour of driving and found the starting point for our hike. Getting out of the car, I felt that familiar feeling of doubt that comes every time we search for Holmoniot. Would we be too late to see any yellow flowers? Or perhaps, we simply wouldn’t find them? Maybe they weren’t going to be growing there at all?
I reminded myself that it really didn’t matter whether we found the flowers or not. We were here to enjoy a fun adventure with our son. There was a beautiful forest, a backpack full of coffee and treats. It was going to be a great morning.
We followed a little dirt pathway towards an area where hikers had seen Holmoniot in years past. And wouldn’t you know it? Within less than a minute of walking on the trail, we spotted our first Holmoniot flowers, bright yellow blossoms popping up from dry and cracked earth.
How Does Your Garden Grow?
In sandy areas in the desert, small, pale flowers grow during rainy season. On the beach, you may see wispy white flowers in late summer. In the wintertime, colorful anemones and lupines pop up from thick patches of grass all over the country. These blossoms all seem to fit into their surroundings.
But Holmoniot are a funny bunch. Their bright color and delicate appearance would lead one to believe that they grow in a lush area, surrounded by greenery. But in fact, these flowers grow amongst dry thorns and brown grasses, in rocky, clumpy terrain.
It does make picture taking a bit difficult. One must get extremely low to the ground to capture the spectacular beauty of these diminutive flowers. And since they grow sparsely, one is constantly concerned with the possibility of treading on a rare yellow blossom.
Despite these difficulties, it’s very rewarding to discover and photograph the beautiful, elusive Holmonit. We spent the first thirty minutes of our hike wandering from flower patch to flower patch, studying the ground, and taking pictures.
Picnic in a Forest
Once we had Holmoniot sightings under our belt, we were ready to have breakfast. Luckily for us, Yatir Forest has no shortage of spectacular picnic spots under the trees. We chose a beautiful spot in a mixture of sun and shade and spread out our picnic blanket.
And there we sat for quite some time, enjoying the quiet, cool beauty of the morning. We had hot coffee and breakfast while our son ate his bakery treats. He played fetch with our border collie. And we even had time to do a little bit of learning before packing up and continuing on our way.
Even if we hadn’t seen any Holmoniot at all, this picnic spot in a forest was worth the drive.
And Finally, the Hike!
No good outing is complete without a little hike! After a leisurely breakfast, we packed up and got walking. We traversed terrain with more Holmoniot, and then joined up with the main pathway.
This trail was perfect for that morning. On both sides, we could see thick forest, but the trail itself was exposed to the sun. It was a cool morning, and we enjoyed the sunshine as we hiked along.
We didn’t see any flowers on this part of our journey, but we did see a lot of other things.
First, my son watched as a lizard scurried under a rock, somehow leaving its still wiggling tail behind. My son promptly picked up the severed, wiggling tail and carried it along. (Ew?)
Then, we reached an area with cool caves, which were once temporary dwelling places for agricultural workers. Nearby, there was an ancient cistern and small press. After exploring this area, we completed the loop and continued back towards the trailhead through the forest.
All in a Day’s Adventure
From there on in, we walked on a path through the forest. Yatir is only really nice in late fall, winter, and early spring. We enjoyed the cool breeze and bright skies, as we hiked through a woodland full of small pine trees.
Eventually, we returned to the original Holmoniot trail, where we spotted some more yellow flowers before returning to our car, happy and fulfilled.
This “Holmoniot” hike through Yatir Forest was a major success and excellent choice for an early flower peeping outing. Beautiful Holmonit flowers are worth searching for. And I’m so thrilled that flower season is finally here!
Hikers’ Notes:
Here’s what you need to know to hike this Holmoniot trail in Yatir Forest:
Don’t forget to read my guide to the navigational features in this post before you hit the trail!
Trail map from Amud Anan.
