A LETTER TO MAY

Wild Plants, Duvet Days & Finding Your Way Back to Nature

May is the month when the landscape seems to wake up all at once. One week, the garden is quiet and green. The next, everything is flowering, climbing, unfurling and reaching towards the sun.

As part of a continuation from our April forage, we ventured out again to see what differences we would find this month. To deepen our understanding and help us decode the medley of plants we see everyday, we went on a local Summer forage, where we gathered and identified various intriguing species of plants.

While there is some overlap, we can definitely see the transition of the flowering plants from last month to this month.

The hedgerows become a patchwork of colour. Young leaves appear overnight.  Flowers that were blooming are now turning into fruit. And suddenly, there is an abundance of wild plants waiting to be noticed.

It will be interesting to see what we find in June.

Plants and flowers are our heroes and our direct connection to Mama Earth. One of our aims this year is to familiarise ourself with the immediate nature that surrounds us and how this will transform throughout the year.

May invites us to move more slowly. To look a little closer. To learn the names of the plants growing around us — and to remember that nature doesn't need to be somewhere remote to be extraordinary.

A May foraging walk

As part of our seasonal foraging journey, we ventured out again to explore the plants growing around us.

After our April forage, we wanted to see what had changed.

And the difference was unmistakable.

The colours were brighter. The plants were taller. New flowers had appeared, while some of the blooms we'd discovered the previous month were already beginning to transform into fruit.

This is one of the wonderful things about seasonal foraging.

The landscape is never quite the same twice.

A path you've walked a hundred times can reveal something completely different simply because you've arrived a few weeks later.

What can you find while foraging in May?

May is an exciting time for wild plant nerds because spring is moving rapidly towards summer. Depending on where you live and the weather that year, you may encounter a changing mixture of:

• Wild garlic
• Nettle
• Dandelion
• Elderflower
• Chickweed
• Sorrel
• Hawthorn blossom
• Plantain
• Young tree leaves
• Wildflowers and flowering herbs

Foraging begins with identification, not harvesting.

Only collect a plant when you are completely certain what it is, and always consider where it is growing. Avoid plants from roadsides, heavily treated areas or places where dogs and other animals may have contaminated the ground.

The joy of foraging isn't about filling a basket. It's about learning to see.

A letter to may

Dear May,

A letter to say thank you for pulling me out from underneath the weight of my duvet. You have blessed us with sunnier days and refreshing rain. I feel like I can finally breathe; truly.

Long days are gradually turning into longer nights, allowing me to sit in my sanctuary and pass the evenings with exciting conversations of the future. 

Thank you for sunlight even on the earliest of mornings.

Thank you for those rejuvenating starts to my day as I uncurl my spine up to the warmth of the sky and ground myself barefoot between the blades of grass.

There is a major pandemic going on forcing us to distance ourselves and stay at home, yet I feel like I have come out from hiding. Out from under the dreary, heavy grey clouds. We no longer have to walk with our heads down against the frosty cold and ruthless winds.

I feel invigorated. 

Thank you for allowing me to feel a surge of energy awaken my body from hibernation as the sun kisses my weathered skin. 

Colour has come back into my palette to paint a picture with a million hues.

The mint and kale have sprung back to life. 

Our babies are sprouting their first pair of leaves while others are ready to be enjoyed with lashings of butter and garlic.

Everyday new leaves and unravel and buds blossom.

The air is fresh and fragrant. 

With new growth and possibility.

Now it’s time to say goodbye as I am reacquainted with Summer.

Until next year.

Moni x

The Art of Noticing

There was a time when stepping outside simply meant going somewhere. Now, more and more, we think of going outside as coming back to ourselves.

A garden, woodland, allotment, park or even a tiny patch of wild plants can become a sanctuary when we learn to pay attention.

You don't need acres of land.

You don't need to know the name of every flower.

Start with one plant. Maybe a tomato plant growing from a crack in the pavement in the middle of central London.

Notice its shape.
It's leaf structure.
Its scent.
The insects visiting it.
Then come back tomorrow.

This simple act of observation is one of the most accessible ways to reconnect with nature.

Why seasonal foraging matters

Foraging is often presented as a way to find wild ingredients. But there is something deeper happening when we learn the plants around us.

We begin to notice seasonality.
We understand where our food comes from.
We recognise which plants provide flowers for pollinators and which produce berries later in the year.
We start to see the landscape as a living system rather than a backdrop.

And perhaps most importantly, we become curious again.

That curiosity is at the heart of everything we do at The Wild Bee Co.

From bees and botanical ingredients to wildcrafted recipes, natural rituals and seasonal workshops, we're interested in the relationship between people, plants and pollinators.

A simple May nature ritual

You don't need to go on a formal foraging expedition to experience the magic of May.
Try this instead.

The 10-minute May ritual

Step outside for ten minutes.

Leave your phone behind.
Find somewhere green.
Then notice:

1. One plant you've never noticed before.
Don't pick it. Simply observe it.

2. One flower.
Look closely. Is anything visiting it?

3. One scent.
Close your eyes and see what you can smell.

4. One sound.
Birdsong, buzzing insects, rustling leaves, rain...

5. One change.
What looks different from the last time you were here?

You don't need to achieve anything.

Just notice.
That is enough.
Everything is temporary.

Want to start foraging?

If you're new to foraging, begin slowly.

A good first step is to choose one or two easily recognisable plants and learn everything you can about them before moving on.

Learn:

• What they look like
• Where they grow
• When they appear
• What they smell like
• Which parts are traditionally used
• Which plants they could potentially be confused with
• Whether the location is suitable for harvesting

And remember: never eat a wild plant unless you are 100% confident about its identification.

A responsible forager also leaves plenty behind. Take only what you need, avoid damaging the plant and remember that wild plants are part of a much bigger ecosystem — one shared with insects, birds and other wildlife.

Follow us on Instagram for more updates from our sanctuary! @wildbee_co

— Moni Dajee, founder of The Wild Bee Company | artist, apiarist + alchemist