Seeing the Desert Bloom

Recently, I went to Israel.  It is a country of contrasts.  Some of the things that struck me were my own misconceptions.  I never imagined that Israel was so absolutely arid.  There are deserts and equally dry wilderness areas.  How did people survive?  I still am trying to figure it out.  Cisterns, wells, springs, all played a vital role in survival.  It is no wonder that there is such a respect for water there.

You see very conservative use of landscape,  with the use of native plants, trees,  and never large plots of grass. In fact, we did see the soil being used for profitable use.  Some of the plants I saw used in agriculture were bananas, pomegranates, mangoes, oranges, grapes,and dates.  They have made the desert bloom!