May
For your wall
Download this month's calendar in a printable format. [PDF file, about 200 kilobytes]
In depth: May
How have the smallest of creatures managed to achieve such mastery of the air?
May
Explore the springtime skies: May Sky Notes.
Related programme
Follow the Nature of Britain's seasonal hints and tips - this month we look at May, a perfect time for spotting beetles - from the cockchafer to the wasp beetle
Do one thing
Sow wild flower seeds to provide nectar for insects such as bees, hover-flies and butterflies.
What to look for
Across Britain, hedgerows are white with cow parsley and in damp woods carpets of wild garlic and wood sorrel cover the ground. Red campion and germander speedwell are flowering on sunny banks and hedgerows.
In rivers you can spot sheets of water crowfoot. In the west of Britain sea trout are making their way upstream to breed. Their relatives the brown trout are rising to hatches of mayflies, also prey for metallic green damselflies such as the banded demoiselle.
Look out for the frightening (but harmless) cockchafer beetles as they blunder about on warm evenings, especially over farmland.
Other insects to look for are the wasp beetle and the cardinal beetle, which sit out in the open protected by their warning colours.
Nightingales sing in southern woods and garden warblers and blackcaps sing in scrub and woodland. Swifts scream through the city streets and bring a touch of the tropics to our lives.
At dusk badger cubs emerge from their setts accompanied by their parents. Harder to spot are baby hares crouching in the long grass of open fields.
Did you know
A baby pipistrelle bat is only about the size of a 50p coin. In May they are unable to fly, but sometimes find their way into unfortunate situations. Don’t handle them, call the bat experts: 0845 1300 228 for the Bat Conservation Trust.
Habitat of the month: Hedgebanks
Many flowers are in bloom and insects are busy surviving. Look for beetles, bugs and bumblebees. With their mixture of woody plants and herbs, hedgebanks are especially good for biodiversity.
Photo opportunity: Hedge and verge flowers
Plants are bursting into flower everywhere. Use a tripod to help keep the lens steady. Go out early and catch the morning dew. Or try the evening – the low sun makes interesting shadows and makes colours appear richer.
The BBC and the Open University are not responsible for the content of external websites.
Content last updated: 11/09/2007
