Mount Scopus BG

Francisco, one of the new 2017-18 scholars who arrived in Jerusalem in October, is our first Spanish scholar.  Here he talks about his first trip to another garden.

Last Thursday, Michael Avishai, the Emeritus Scientific Director, took us on an afternoon trip to Mt Scopus to visit the Botanic Gardens there.  We stopped twice to see the wonderful views to the east and to the west. The photo shows the views to the west.

View over the Judean Desert  Photo:  Francisco LT

In the foreground, Aleppo pines (Pinus halepensis ) and Cypress trees (Cupressus sempervirens) from controversial reforestations done in the past.  Next to the road, brown patches of low scrubland, dominated by thorny burnet (Sarcopoterium spinosum) a summer deciduous plant, just starting to grow leaves after the autumn rains.

In the background, shaded by the clouds, the Judean desert; overgrazing by livestock in a region with not much rain is probably the main reason for the bare soil look.  Hopefully we will be back with better visibility to take a glimpse of the Dead Sea from here. The gardening team at Mt Scopus was very kind to us, specially Ofri who gave us a tour.  He is a former curatorial scholar and staff member of the JBG.