The mountainous Carmel ridge, with summits more than 500 meters above sea level, is a fine place to study both nature and history. A kermes oak forest grows in the areas at an altitude of higher than 200 meters and in the damper parts of the mountain. There are beautiful groves on the slopes above Kibbutz Yagur, near Nahal Kelah (known as Little Switzerland), and in Keren Hacarmel. As a rule, the thicket that grows under the kermes oaks is so tangled that people cannot walk between the trees, but the park staff has blazed some trails, most of which are signposted. Kermes oaks are relatively small and have only one trunk. Terebinths, strawberry trees, and buckthorns grow alongside the kermes oaks. Arrowwoods and laurels grow in the deep, especially well-shaded channels.



To read the rest of this article, courtesy of Israel Nature & National Parks Protection Authority, see Arutz-7's Travel Page