Written by Pauline Kidner
Charity Founder and Advisor
May Day is a bank holiday giving workers a day off, but in folklore it was a time of celebration as spring moves into summer. Even as far back as the Roman times it was a time when an event was held dedicated to the goddess Flora known for flowers, vegetation and fertility. In medieval times it emerged as a day of feasting and celebration. Some communities would have a procession with the May Queen chosen from the village to head the procession with attendants. This does still happen in some villages and can be followed by dancing around the May Pole – all to welcome the arrival of summer. I was proud to be one of the May Queen’s attendants way back in 1958 but this was in Kent, known as the garden of England. There were indeed many orchards, hop farms and arable farming.
The hedgerow has been full of blossom. Last month the Black thorn was the first to erupt in flowers even before the leaves have started to grow, but now the Hawthorn frothy flowers, often called May, are a promise of summer to come. Known as a species as being hard and strong, the oldest living hawthorn in Britain is known as the Hethel Old Thorn in Norfolk and is believed to be over 700 years old!
With lots of birds singing to protect their territories, our swifts arrive from their long journey from Africa to display in our skies. After leaving their nest, these birds stay on the wing for over two years making their journey across the world. Their lives are spent on the thermals, eating, sleeping and foraging until they are old enough to mate and build a nest in their second year. Most garden birds, when they leave the nest have a period of a few days unable to fly. As they build up their muscles, the parent birds will still feed them until they are able to take to the wing. With swifts, they build up their muscles by doing exercises in the nest so that they are strong enough to fly straight away as they leave the nest.
In rehab we place the swifts in containers with material on the side so that they can grip with their tiny feet and flutter their wings to build up condition. Once they are the right weight and condition, then we just take them out in the open and they take flight from our hands – an amazing sight.
May is also a busy time for hedgehogs, the main time for mating. These mammals share territory but usually lead solitary lives travelling anything up to 2 miles in a night. The male will chase the female in a circle sometimes making quite a lot of noise. Mating is not as difficult as you may think as the female accepts him by laying her spines flat.
The old saying is ‘Ne’er cast a clout until May is out’ which means – keep your warm clothes on until the May is in flower so it’s t-shorts out and enjoy the sun!