Page 66 - 2021 Almanac

Hedgerows are at their most beautiful in May. They are full of wildflowers which attract lots of insects and butterflies. The traditional saying above gives us a good picture of what is going on in nature in May. It is a very busy month for bees! They are working hard to gather nectar to feed on, and while they do this, they are also helping plants
to grow through ‘pollination’. So lots of busy bees in May means plenty of yummy bread, cereal, fruit and vegetables for us. It’s a good idea to plant wildflowers in your garden or allotment if you can as this will feed the bees.
At the beginning of the month there is also an explosion of golden dandelions everywhere. Birds such as goldfinches love the seeds: you’ll see lots of these beautiful birds flocking to nibble the seeds just before the flowers turn into dandelion ‘clocks’.
The word ‘dandelion’ comes from the French, ‘dents de lion’ which means ‘lion’s teeth’, but the French actually call them pissenlit which means ‘wet the bed’, because eating the leaves makes you wee a lot!
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