May Almanac

SEASONAL THOUGHTS TO HELP YOU ENJOY THE MONTH THINGS TO NOTE AND NOTICE

Nature spot FOX CUBS

In both the countryside and built-up areas, fox cubs start to emerge from their dens in late spring. Spotting them is something you can enjoy almost wherever you live.

Cubs begin to join their parents on foraging expeditions for food in late April and early May. Until then, they stay in the den and their parents bring their food to them. You may spot them in your garden, a local park or out on the streets, play-fighting with their siblings. They’ll often get quite close if you’re just sitting quietly nearby. Other giveaways that fox cubs are about include scraps of food, small droppings and flies buzzing about (all less cute than the cubs themselves). You might also spot areas of flattened grass where they’ve been rolling around and lying down. You’re most likely to see actual fox cub action close to the den at either dawn or dusk.

May in the sky

Daylight hours: 15 per day Evenings are feeling longer

Full moon: 16th, Flower Moon AKA the Hare Moon

New moon: 30th

The moon is new in Gemini

Constellations to spot: Virgo Virgo is quite dim. Look for the bright blue-white star, Spica, which is easy to spot

Folklore

Beltane

The first record of the term ‘Beltane’ is attributed to Cormac, a king and bishop, and appeared in an Old Irish dictionary at the end of the first millennium to describe the Pagan fire festival in May, when cows were herded between bonfires in hopes of protecting them from evil spirits and disease.

It’s thought it means ‘blazing fire’, coming from ‘bhel’, meaning to shine white, burn or flash, and ‘ten’, which is old Irish for ‘fire’. The other belief is that in another form, Beltinyā, it derives from the name of the Lithuanian Goddess of Death, Glitinė.

Mini-adventure

Venturing into the sea

The seas are warmer now and if you’re a beginner sea swimmer, Viking Bay in Broadstairs, Kent, is an excellent place to start your adventures. Sea swimmers flock here in the warmer weather, but if you’re nervous you can just use the tidal pool instead.

Once you’ve dried off and filled up on high tea from Bessie’s Tea Parlour, there’s lots more to explore, from the area’s Viking history to connections with Dickens, who wrote David Copperfield from ‘Bleak House’, which overlooks the bay. If you want to enjoy the sea from dry land, the Kent Coastline walk passes nearby.

In May, the average sea temperature is 11.6°C in Brixham, and 10.1°C in Ballycastle.