Hawthorn: the May tree and her magic

The white blossoms of hawthorn often herald the beginning of summer, but on a Friday halfway through April I found myself marvelling at her flowers whilst sat shivering in a chilly beer garden. This made me wonder how the changing climate will impact on this seasonal marker of many moons past and whether in generations to come, folk will spot her blooming in February and wonder why their ancestors knew her as the May Tree.

On a completely relevant tangent, we also have common names for the beetles in the class of Phyllophaga - there are May Beetles, June Bugs and July Beetles - all named after the time of year we may see them out and about in the hedgerows. I wonder how this will change in years to come as their life cycles adapt to the shifting seasons.

Back to hawthorn. This magical tree plays a central role in Celtic folklore which has 8 festivals roughly 6 weeks apart throughout a calendar year. One of these celebrations, Beltane (also known as May Day) falls on 1 May and it's no surprise that hawthorn, also known as the May tree, is a central symbol to this day's festivities. Branches from hawthorn are gathered for the Maypole and leaves and flowers are woven into festive garlands and wreaths. As a symbol of fertility, hawthorn is synonymous with Beltane - a festival celebrating the coming summer and abundance of life on earth.

On a slightly less lively note, in Medieval times there was superstition that hawthorn was a harbinger of illness and death and that it was bad luck to bring branches and flowers into homes. Folks also claimed that hawthorn flowers smelled like the Great Plague which is likely to be because the chemical trimethylamine in hawthorn blossom is also one of the first chemicals formed in decaying animal tissue! Best keep your hawthorn decorations outside!

If Maypole dancing isn't your thing, another way to celebrate the hawthorn tree on May Day is to decorate your local tree. This custom is known as tree dressing and the traditional way to dress your tree is to tie strips of cloth of yarn to the tree, but you could also make paper decorations or tie ribbon to your tree. Don't forget to return and remove any non-biodegradable decorations on the next festival - Midsummer on 21 June.

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