Total monthly rainfall: 98 millimetres.  Maximum daily rainfall: 16 millimetres on 16^th May.

There were 19 days when measurable rain fell, and 17days of full cloud cover for at least part of the day. There was also an excessively high tree-pollen count from the oak, hornbeam and willow trees for much of the month.

Maximum temperature on the warmest days was 22°C on the 9^th and 31^st. Maximum temperature on the coldest days was 13°C on the 1^st, 5^th, 8^th, and 14^th.

Wildflower first-sightings for the year were as follows: Bugle (3^rd May); cow parsley and garlic mustard (5^th), followed by meadow buttercup (11^th); oxeye daisy (14^th); arum lily (15^th); bird’s foot trefoil and creeping buttercup on the 16^th. A further batch occurred on the 21^st (yellow iris); red clover (22^nd); narrow-leafed plantain (24^th), and lesser stitchwort and common vetch (28^th). This brings our wildflower tally so far to 29 species.

• First birds foot trefoil First birds foot trefoil
• First horse chestnut flower First horse chestnut flower
• First yellow flag iris flower First yellow flag iris flower
• Hawthorn blossom Hawthorn blossom
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Five species of butterfly were first seen during the month as follows: Red admiral (12^th May), small copper, and common blue (18^th), and small heath and comma on the 19^th – bringing our total to a rather low seven species.

Moths fared slightly better, with longhorn moths appearing around hazel on the 11^th, one brown-oak tortrix moth caterpillar and 4 burnet companion moths on the 28^th, and 2 mother Shipton moths on the 30^th. Our moth total is now 11.

There were 6 species of dragonflies and damselflies this month, making 7 species for the year so far.

May 17^th produced a downy emerald dragonfly and exuvia; the 18^th a blue-tailed damselfly and white-legged damselfly; the 26^th an azure damselfly; the 27^th a four-spotted chaser and exuvia, and the 29^th a red-eyed damselfly.

Other insects included swarms of midges from the 9^th onwards and alder fly, mayfly, and St Mark’s fly on the 17^th.

Wild birds first recorded this month include a willow warbler on the 1^st; two red kites on the 4^th, and a lesser-spotted woodpecker on the 5^th. In addition, the Canada geese hatched 5 goslings on May 6^th- after which our lone white gander, which had been ostracised for well over a month, was accepted back to help guard them. Finally, a house sparrow ate a maiden flight four-spotted chaser on the 31^st.

First leaves appeared on the beech tree on May 1^st; hawthorn flowered on the 4^th; horse chestnut flowered on the 13^th; leaves appeared on the ash on the 19^th.