The Beautiful Month of May

Did you know that the month of May is named after the Greek goddess Maia, who looked after plants?

It’s World Photography Month, so with the better weather and the longer evenings, it’s a great time to get out and explore our wonderful green and open spaces –

May brings us fields of buttercups (and the occasional frolicking horse) as I captured a year or two back for my Surrey Hills book.

May is also the month that the Oxeye Daisies appear, although they are late this year on account of it being so dry. I was lucky for my Surrey Hills book that the evening I visited the Woodland Trust’s Field of Soldiers the daisies were out in force.

 And here on Barnes Common.

If you visit either Richmond and Bushy Park you might spot this annual event, where the local crows help themselves to large tufts of hair off the deer’s backs to line their nests. The deer seem quite tolerant but it must be quite painful. They certainly don’t mind them grabbing a meal and removing ticks. So it might be that, which makes them more placid.

Spring is when we see nature start to regenerate and renew itself and our ponds, lakes and rivers are great places to see some this in all its glory. On visits to The London Wetland Centre for my new book, Wild about The Wetlands, this time of year presented many cute portrait opportunities.

My favourite picture from the last month – a glorious moment in time in Bushy Park but it did mean a very early alarm call. If you’d like a print of this or any of my pictures please do get in touch - they can be reproduced to any size, from something for your desktop to the side of a wall.

Have a great month and do get out and enjoy the Queen’s Jubilee and the chance for a good street party but don’t forget to put out your flags and bunting.

Ends