May

If I had to choose my favorite month, May would be the winner. I admit that here in the upper Midwest, the fifth month sometimes gets off to a rough start. A cold, rainy, windy 42 degree day is not exactly uplifting. But vast improvements quickly appear. My camera and I tried to capture some of May’s offerings.

The new leaves are delicate mists of green in the early weeks but turn the entire landscape bright emerald by Memorial Day.

 

 

 

Migratory birds are returning every day, filling our yard with their songs. May 11 was a particularly joyful day for us as the purple martins  flew in to take up summer residence in their martin apartments.

 

 

Also returning are the gnats, a.k.a. mayflies or midges, who create massive, tornado-like swarms all along the lakeshore. They are utterly harmless, but an amazing nuisance. Thinking of them as a colossal banquet for the birds helps when scrubbing them off the front of the car and our windows.

 

May and flowers are synonymous. Marsh marigolds and then trilliums cover acres of  forest lands. More modest wildflowers are sprouting in the woods as well; tiny wood violets, mayflowers, jack-in-the-pulpit and wild columbine to name but a few.

 

By mid-month, the orchards are all in bloom and the flowering crabs are covered with seas of pink and purple blossoms.  After a week, the spring winds turn the petals into flower confetti, our spring snow.

 

 

And then there are the lilacs. My favorites are the ancient, massive bushes that dot the country roadsides. Planted by farm women decades and decades ago, the lilacs continue to grow and thrive, long after many of their homesteads have vanished.

 

 

May is a feast for all the senses plus it brings an added bonus. The hours of daylight are nearing their zenith. Since I’m a born traveler, my response to the light is instinctual…..hit the road to soak in all the beauty. Everything’s ephemeral. (Click any picture to enlarge.)

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