A Look at the Season's Main Events
By Virginia Barlow
May
Honeybee lore: “A swarm in May is worth a load of hay.” / The Aquarid meteor shower peaks on May 5. This fine, rich stream is visible for only a few hours before dawn / Early saxifrage is blooming, usually on rocky outcrops / There should be plenty of birdsong by now from black-throated green warblers, chestnut-sided warblers, common yellowthroats, ovenbirds, phoebes, white-throated sparrows, and song sparrows / Female turkeys are sitting on their 10-12 eggs
Wild columbine is blooming. Its flowers are designed to be pollinated by hummingbirds, but non-pollinating insects sometimes drill holes in the flower and rob the nectar / Some apple trees are showing pink buds / Don’t get discouraged about your lawn: dandelion flowers can be dipped in flour, fried, and eaten / Male white-tailed deer are regaining the fat they lost during the winter and during last autumn’s rut / Hairy-tailed moles give birth in May and June
Black fly larvae that were not eaten by other insect larvae or fish are emerging as adults / Clintonia, a lovely yellow lily of cool, acidic soils, begins to bloom. It’s also called bluebead lily, for its fruits / Young fishers are following their mothers through the woods / Two-year-old beavers have left home and are searching for new house sites / Gray tree frogs begin calling in late afternoon and will continue to deafen anyone nearby until after midnight
“Swallows fly high, clear blue skies. Swallows fly low, prepare for a blow” / Filamentous bacteria called actinomycetes give soil the wonderful earthy smell that wafts up as you prepare the garden for planting / Red maple seeds begin to ripen, at a time when most birds are seeking protein-rich insects instead of seeds. A few birds eat them, as do squirrels, chipmunks, and mice / Fawns are born. Does that entered winter healthy and well fed will produce twins
↑ top
These listing are from observations and reports in our home territory at about 1,000 feet in elevation in central Vermont and are approximate. Events may occur earlier or later, depending on you latitude, elevation - and the weather.
-----
© 2005 by the author; this article may not be copied or reproduced without the author's consent.
