Creature Feature – May Treasures
Posted by Dustin Horton // May 18, 2022 // Articles, Creature Feature
As a nature enthusiast, May is one of my favorite months. Beauty abounds: the eruption of verdant leaves in the woodlands; colorful, fragrant flowers popping up; jubilant birdsong in the air; and the season’s first newborn fawns and romping baby foxes… May is simply heavenly.
I encourage you to soak in the glorious sights, sounds and scents that this month brings. Take your kids, or grandkids, or invite a friend, and head outdoors on a “treasure hunt,” as May offers us a trove of precious gems, some of which shine for just a little while before they’re gone for another year.
Some May treasures include the nostalgic beauty and sweet perfume of lilac and lily-of-the-valley blooms, and the handsome rose-breasted grosbeaks, with their dapper black, white and raspberry plumage and buoyant whistles. Look for Baltimore orioles; the male is a dazzling orange and black, and the female will be busy weaving her unique hanging nest. Also keep an eye out for ruby-throated hummingbirds — they’re back! Search for green frogs around a pond and painted turtles basking on logs. Watch swallows catch bugs on the wing. Hear the drone of buzzing bees as they fly in a field full of dandelions, and laugh at the roly-poly woodchuck scampering to its burrow. Breathe in the fresh scent after a rainfall, and marvel at the rainbow’s miracle.
What other treasures will you discover in May?
Margie Manthey
