The rains may not have been plentiful this year – aside from the devastating storm in December that left Jerusalem and many communities cut off by snow – but still the Negev Desert has begun its annual process of turning green.

The Negev covers more than half of Israel and for most of the year it’s a rocky desert with brown dusty mountains, but in the winter the northern and western areas of the Negev get rainfall of about 250-300mm.

Then the sandy brown soil sees sudden shoots of green. By spring, parts of the Negev will turn red, as thousands upon thousands of wild poppies start to bloom.

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