The 'merrie' month of May provides a riot of glorious colour. Foremost among the blossom trees are hawthorn (may), with its flowing cascades of frothy white and sometimes pink blossom, sweeping down to ground level above an under storey of Queen Anne's lace (cowparsley). May blossom often attracts tiny metallic green longhorn moths with extensive hair-like antennae.

Nature Notes: Top of the pecking order

There is an old nursery rhyme which begins 'Here we come gathering nuts in May'. However, obviously nuts don't ripen until autumn but 'nuts' is a corruption of 'knots', referring to the tiny round unopened buds of may blossom (pictured), which many years ago, children would collect to eat along with the fresh green leaves, calling them 'bread and cheese'.

Then there is pink and white lilac, elder flower, horse chestnut candles, cherry blossom and laburnum. Wild flowers too are blooming profusely this year, especially dandelions and lawn daisies that are putting up a wonderful show along with green alkanet, buttercups, cuckoo flower, garlic mustard and of course bluebells.

Nature Notes: It's a busy time for the birds and bees...

Spring butterflies including brimstone, orange tip, whites, peacocks and tortoiseshells home in on these flowers and one of my favourite sights is to watch brimstone and orange tips feeding under pendulous bluebell flowers.

Next to flower will be ox-eye daisies, my favourite wild flower. The name daisy is derived from the ancient 'day's eye', referring to its yellow centre representing the sun with rays emanating from it.