Welcome May (Almanac 2024)
Inspiration for things to enjoy in Nature on the cusp of the Summer season
At the beginning of May, local villages , villagers and visitors come to life with fetes and the processions of May Kings, May Queens and a Jack-in-the-Green who dances in the streets to celebrate the ending of Spring and the beginning of the fertile and fortuitous Summer season.
As the beginning of May is heralded in with Maypoles, Morris Dancers and Green Men, we remember our ancestors, the Milk Maidens of olden days who dressed so finely on May Day, dancing with their milk pails spilling over with wildflowers to welcome the coming of the milk.
May Day was a very special day of the year for young women who ran into the fields to wash their faces in dew before dawn, and young men who lept over bonfires having dressed the cattle with flowers and ceremoniously driven them from their Winter shelter and out to pasture where the green grass is waiting for them to feed on.
At this most fertile time of year, every flower is blossoming with the pure intention of attracting a bee, hoverfly or beetle to pollinate its flowers to make fruit later in the year. Every bird is signing heartily to attract a mate or defend its territory, now resplendent with a nest, ready for the breeding season. Every seed is unfolding new shoots, petals and leaves, reaching up to light in a breathtaking array of beauty and transformation.
In the hedgerows, fields, verges and edges, wildflowers, ferns, herbs and ivy explode in a gorgeious array of pale greens and the brightest of colours.All of a sudden, you notice the buzz of bees, the hum of hoverflies and the flitting about of butterflies as they court with each other in an elegant dance, you feel the warmth on the breeze and a lightness in the air. Everything is happening in Nature this month and it's all there for us to enjoy.
You can find gardening tips. vegetables, herbs, fruits and nuts in season, and things to forage, in my Almanac for May (2023).
Poem for the month
Read or listen to my first poem - Welcome May - a celebration of Nature's 'opening up' as Spring comes into its own.
Cleansing recipes for the month
I have been a bit short on time to prepare my first foraging recipe for this month but my recipe for Dandelion Flower Water is perfect for this time of year with so many glorious golden Dandelions gracing our lawns, fields and verges.
All you have to do is pick some flowers with the stems, wash them well and soak them in filtered water overnight. It makes for a lovely refreshing drink when you wake up - even better with the juice of half a lemon.
If you would like to cleanse your body more thoroughly, I highly recommend Cleanse to Heal by Anthony William as a great start to your Going Organic journey. Or try other cleaning and healing favourites including my Turbo Boost Turkey Tail Tea, Lemon Herbal Cleanse and super-cleansing Citrus Metal Detox.
Dates for Moon phases
New Flower Moon - Wednesday 8 May
Full Flower Moon - Thursday 23 May
Times for Sunrise & Sunset (Devon)
First Dawn - 5.48 am
First Sunset - 8.36 pm
Last Dawn - 5.07 am
Last Sunset - 9.18 pm
Things to watch out for and do in Nature in May.
The Dawn Chorus
No one can deny the vibrant beauty of the symphony of birdsong to herald in our mornings from now through to the hazy days of Summer when the mating is done, the chicks have flown and the parents get a brief reprieve before doing it all again in the second half of the season.
The Dawn Chorus is at its best around 30 minutes either side of sunrise (see below), and the songs carry on well into the morning, meaning there's plenty of time to rise early and get into a position where you can listen and enjoy. Birds arriving back from their winter migrations from late March, swell the chorus with more voices.
We are reminded by John Lewis-Stempel in Meadowland that there is an evening chorus too, and it is best enjoyed when the light is seductive in white veils ... Two male blackbirds, on opposite sides of the field, sing against each other in an ecstatic proclamation of their stake in the world.
Sowing & Planting Seeds
Germinating and planting seeds is a great way to get closer to Nature as this can be done inside or outside at this time of the year. It's so exciting when the first shoot appears and tending them until they are ready to transfer to a pot or somewhere in the garden to enjoy throughout the Summer. Some of my favourites are:
- Sunflowers
- Nasturiums
- Wild Poppies
- Wildflowers

This is also a great time for planting new or more mature plants that will flower in early Summer to provide lots of sweet nectar and essential pollen for the bees and other pollinators. My favourites are Lavender, Honeysuckle, Heather, Geraniums and flowering herbs - Oregano, Margoram, Chives and Thyme - for later in the season.
Making a Flower Basket
May Day Baskets are not just for May Day, they are a delightful idea to give as a gift at any time of year. Usually handmade, they can be as simple as a sheet of paper rolled into a cone to hold wildflowers or a more elaborate basket decorated with ribbons and other trinckets to offset the wildflowers inside.
The idea in olden times was to deliver your May Day Basket to someone's door without them knowing who delivered it to them. This often meant ringing the bell and running away. You can get really creative and remember this as a way to say
thank you or
happy birthday to someone special, now or later in the year.
My apologies for the late posting of May's Almanac due to technical issues as I wait for my replacement equipment that was sadly lost in April. There is still so much to savour and I hope you enjoy this magical time of year.
Take time out to enjoy the last days of the Spring days on the cusp of the Summer season. Mother Nature is waiting to share her delights with you.
I look forward to seeing you here for my next Almanac on 1 June 2024.
Sue Cartwright
Spiral Leaf
Further reading
Recommended books are available for sale in the Spiral Leaf bookshop by following the links below. Spiral Leaf may earn a small commission on books sold only by independent book sellers with no extra cost to you.
The Almanac - A Seasonal Guide to 2024 by Lia Leendertz
Wild Hares and Hummingbirds by Stephen Moss
The Running Hare by John Lewis-Stempel
The Leaping Hare by George Ewart Evans and David Thomson
Meadowland - The Private Life of an English Field by John Lewis-Stempel
Thank you for sharing!
for you, for me and for Mother Nature
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