..buds of May

The original phrase comes from Shakespeare's well-known sonnet;

                                         Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?

                                     Thou art more lovely and more temperate:

                                     Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,

                                     And summer's lease hath all too short a date: 

May seems to cause all sorts of poetical waxings, (perhaps not a word?) having to do with new life and green things and fresh starts. May Day is celebrated by many as Beltane, a fire festival celebrating the midpoint between spring equinox and summer solstice on the Celtic Wheel of the Year. It is the time of peak fertility and growth on a calendar that mirrors the seasons of agricultural practice; planting, growing, reaping and resting.

I read that the 'May' referred to, is not so much the month, as the tree; the May tree or Common Hawthorn that blossoms at this time is considered a fairy tree in Ireland and is the sixth tree on the Celtic tree calendar. It is to be treated with respect and is often associated with love and springtime, hence the May Tree. (Apparently in 1999 a road between Limerick and Galway was rerouted because a fairy tree was in the pathway.) 

As an aside, I wondered about May Day and Mayday and if there was some relation between the two. Mayday, the call for help, has nothing to do with Hawthorn trees but supposedly stems from the French 'm'aidez', although it might be said that if used, the situation is a 'thorny' one? ..sorry

One more aside..I had no idea that 106 countries around the world celebrate May Day as their Labour Day with parades that celebrate labourers and their achievements, and sometimes with protests about important issues that concern workers. In some Communist countries the military is also honoured on this day. 

To resume our already scheduled program...the buds of May, and not just the May tree, are becoming visible. 

Maple trees lend a reddish glow in the skyline that is lovely.

Tree buds and flowers are unique, like these male box elder flowers,

and these Eastern Cottonwood catkins. 

These are Hackberry buds,

and this oak still retains a complement of acorn caps.

I thought this was a lovely budding bouquet although I am not quite certain what it is.

At ground level, the spotted leaves of trout lilies leaves are visible. On several warm and protected hillsides I found patches of open blooms;

 yellow..

and white.

 Bluebells are sprouting,

and Scilla are blooming.

 I saw a solitary wee clump of Rue Anemones,

 Marsh marigolds

and dandelions, which are often the first source of nectar until other spring plants flower.

In the world of winged things the early butterflies are visible;

 the shapely Comma,

 the Mourning Cloak

and the Red Admiral. These butterflies overwinter as adults so are seen earliest in the spring.

The winged and feathered neighborhood is growing with species who visit our area to nest.

 Sandhill cranes are gathering in ponded areas.

 Northern Flickers are looking for mates and nesting sites.

 Spotted Sandpipers can be seen again on river edges,

and male Hooded Mergansers will raise their white crests to court females and then look for holes in trees to nest in. 

Female Red-winged blackbirds have now followed the male birds to nesting areas that the males, who arrived some weeks earlier, have established. Nests will be built at the base of the reeds and each male will keep guard of up to 15 females and their nests. Yikes!

It was a wonderful surprise to see this Night-Heron perched along the canal. These birds nest in colonies in wetlands so this solitary bird, that is showing the pinkish legs of a breeding bird, is probably just roosting for the day and will travel by night and join other birds in a marsh in the area.

Our local birds, like the Wild Turkey, are visible in fields trying to impress the ladies with their display.

Cardinals are vocally marking their territory and guarding their nests.

For the first time I actually saw a cardinal nest which was in  a large shrub on the canal bank. When the leaves come out it will be invisible.

This Canada Goose has nested early and already has a brood of goslings that she shepherds along the canal. Many geese are still sitting on a nest mound incubating their eggs.

 Finally, on the furry front...

I came across this evidence of spring cleaning at the base of a hillside where there were several chipmunk holes. Maybe the burrow was being emptied out to make room for nesting. Does can breed twice a year and the pups are ready to leave the nest after 4 to six weeks.

This wary squirrel could be guarding a nest. Squirrels can have two litters a year; one in Jan-Feb, and the next in Jun-Jul. Babies take about 12 weeks to mature so this nest might be full of youngsters busy learning squirrel stuff before they can go out and meet the world.

There might already be fawns in our local White-tailed deer population, but most are born closer to the end of May. Does will leave their fawns in deep grasses for the day while they forage, but will always return to them. Sometimes people come upon fawns and mistakenly believe that they have been abandoned, but fawns should be left to be cared for by their mothers.

May reminds us that in the midst of a constantly changing world, some things remain the same. Winter does finally end and the ground will warm and green things will sprout. It is reassuring to see the grass turn green after the spring rains, to hear the songs of the birds once more, and to see the beauty of those earliest wildflowers. It is important to see the dark now balanced with light and life following seeming death. Spring is a bit behind this year, so each new bud and song is a cause for celebration.