May Wildlife Guide
With more wildlife appearing, know what to look out for and what you can do to help!
The month of May sees more flowers in bloom and the weather beginning to become warmer, so prepare for your wildlife sightings to soar!
In this guide we’ll go through a couple of things to look out for in your blossoming garden this May.
Table of Contents
Wild Birds
May becomes a great time of year to seek out redstarts, a species that is a part of the summer migrations. Often seen near farmlands amongst the trees, so if you’re fortunate enough to live near such areas or are out for daily walks, be sure to keep an eye out for these colourful birds.
The Dawn Chorus is not something you want to miss, in May you’ll find the volume and variety of species to be astounding and beautiful to listen to. If you want to catch such a variety in action, it is recommended that you should be in place at a woodland or park at 5am to hear their beautiful song. You’ll be able to hear a Blackcap, which produces a song similar to that of a nightingale.
Mammals
Watch as Hazel Dormice return, after hibernating through the colder months the dormice are now active. Flowers for these creatures are important for their nutrition following hibernation, you can often find them at their favourites – honeysuckle, hawthorn and bramble. You’ll find this species returning to hazel in autumn when its time for high calorie foods in preparation for hibernation once again.
Mating hedgehogs can be heard as we venture into the summer months, so consider building a shelter in your garden in which they can build their nests in preparation for welcoming their young.
Insects
With the warmer months arriving, so will the wildflowers. Help insects that uses grasslands as their habitat by keeping your lawn or kerbside cutting to a minimum, as this will help them to thrive.
If the weather remains sunny, expect to see more white butterflies emerging early as it was in April and May 2020. If you’re a butterfly enthusiast, take notes on how frequently you spot them and share your findings to help establish whether the white butterfly will continue emerging early in the season.
