It’s been mixed weather lately and, as the old proverb says, ne’er cast a clout till May be out. But the jury’s out as to whether it means the month of May or the Mayflower, another name for the common hawthorn, Crataegus monogyna. With regards to your daily clothing plans, it effectively means the same thing, as the hawthorn flowers in the month of May!
The hawthorn tree has a strong connection with folklore. At times, it was associated with death and, except for May Day, would be kept out of the house. However, from the wildlife perspective, it may be teeming with life – as the Woodland Trust page on this species describes: “Common hawthorn can support more than 300 insects. It is the food plant for caterpillars of many moths, including the hawthorn, orchard ermine, pear leaf blister, rhomboid tortrix, light emerald, lackey, vapourer, fruitlet mining tortrix, small eggar and lappet moths. Its flowers are eaten by dormice and provide nectar and pollen for bees and other pollinating insects. The haws are rich in antioxidants and are eaten by many migrating birds such as redwings, fieldfares and thrushes, as well as small mammals. The dense thorny foliage makes fantastic nesting shelter for many species of bird.”
Where can you see flowering hawthorn in London? The GiGL database includes over 12,700 records of Crataegus monogyna currently. The boroughs with the greatest number of observations are the larger, outer boroughs – 11% of the records are for Bromley, 9% for Richmond-upon-Thames and 7% for Havering. However, where-ever you live in London you shouldn’t be too far from hawthorn as it’s recorded in all 33 local authorities.
May 2015
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