Flora of Israel: Bene Zion – Haruzim Nature Reserve, שמורת בני ציון

After a long period of time to have been absent, my first field trip was toBene Zion – Haruzim Nature Reserve, where I observed a member of the“Red Anemone Guild Flowers”.A few persons inquired about the difference of Anemone coronaria,Crown Anemone, כלנית מצויה ,شقائق النعمان andRanunculus asiaticus, Turban Buttercup, Scarlet crowfoot, נורית אסיהPerhaps the following Israeli Fairy tale will help to solve the riddle.Once upon a time, in a far country, there lived a handsome prince.After years of dissipation and tumultuous bachelorhood the prince decided to take a woman in his life, and announced that he would give an evening of “Speed Dating”, free and open to the female audience.Hundreds of women decided to try their luck, including the Three Sisters: Anemone, Scarlet Buttercup and Poppy.On the appointed day the sisters (like most invited) stormed the nearby mall to get the most up to date garment and the most impressive accessories. The mall was full of women pushing and shopping to get an outfit. Within minutes the sisters had lost each other and only met again when they returned to their homes, each with the result of her shopping frenzy, all with the same red dress.Trouble!? How could the Prince distinguish between the three?After the tears, the blood returned to their faces, and they found a solution: each of them would add a rather unique accessory to her red dress.Anemone added a white scarf she brought from her travels in India.Scarlet Buttercup, the trendy, added a green belt, decorated her dress with glitters and put on glossy lipstick.Poppy wore a black beaded necklace around her neck.With the upgraded performance they entered the hall and seized the prince’s heart within minutes. He spent an entire day with every one of them, and after three days he admittedhe could not reach a decision. The three sisters were also captured by the prince’s charms, and each wanted him for herself. Wow, and another solution was found: the Prince would marry the three of them, on condition that once a year, every year, he will dedicate a period of time with each one separately.The Prince in love quickly agreed, and only asked the sisters to continue to wear their special accessories to avoid unnecessary confusion and shame. For the same reason he also decided to open a log book and to set dates for each sister, in alphabetical order – Anemone, Scarlet Buttercup, Poppy.Since then, every year,Anemone is the first to bloom, with a white scarf around the stamens;Buttercup with the bright shiny leaves and the typically green sepals enclosing the petals in the form of a belt, is the second to appear;Poppy finishes the cycle, with dark circles on the petals.So now you can distinguish the difference between an anemone and poppy.