May 2-8, 2011
Resurgent May, softness with energy,
Warmth after cold, reunion after loss.
-Vita Sackville-West
Lunar phase and lore

The Morel Mushroom Moon, becoming the new Clover Moon on May 3 at 1:51 a.m., swells throughout the week, moving overhead in the afternoon and entering its second quarter at 3:33 p.m.

Clovers of all colors and sizes are the harbingers of the best of pasture time throughout the region, and when clovers bloom, then orchard grass and timothy are ripe for haying. New calves and lambs and kids are in the fields, and all the bird migrations are under way. Entering Taurus on May 2, Gemini on May 4, Cancer on May 5 and Leo on May 9, this new Clover Moon is perfect for seeding every single seed in your flower and vegetable packets. There will be no better lunar weekend than May 6-8 for planting.

The moon overhead in the afternoon and evening will favor fishing and feeding (but not dieting) at that time, especially as the cool fronts of May 7 and 12 approach.

The Eta Aquarid meteors fall next weekend (May 5-6), and the dark moon favors your success at finding them. Look for the shooting stars low in the southeast after 3 a.m. Venus moves retrograde again this month, joining with Mars in Pisces. Jupiter, right behind Pisces, spends the month in Aires. Of these three major planets, Venus is the largest, and Mars is the reddest. Saturn is visible throughout much of the night in Virgo, setting well before dawn.

Weather patterns

The first three days of May are sometimes marked by a “Lilac Winter” high-pressure system that chills one of the most fragrant times of the year. During this brief season, frost comes about 10 percent of the time in the North, but usually stays away in the South.

Temperatures warm significantly as the front moves away, and chilly afternoons in the 40s and 50s are relatively uncommon as the May 7 front approaches. The period of May 8-14 historically brings more storms to the nation than any other period except the days between May 17-24.

Daybook

May 2: Late spring continues to advance as the antlers of deer begin to grow and the first parsnips bloom.

The first blue jay is born in the first days of late spring. All major garden weeds are sprouting, and wild phlox, wild geranium, wild ginger, celandine, spring cress, sedum, golden Alexander, thyme-leafed speedwell, garlic mustard and common fleabane are budding. Rhubarb should be perfect for pie.

May 3: Throughout the northern half of the United States, the new Clover Moon today increases the chance for frost as the first cold front of the month arrives. The small-mouthed bass don’t care: they begin spring feeding in the dark of the May moon. Carp mate, too.

May 4: The canopy of leaves becomes thicker every day along the 40th Parallel. Mountain maples, lilacs and wild cherries flower. All the sweet gum flower clusters fall to the street as chives blossom in the garden. Redbuds fade, their leaves replacing flowers almost overnight.

Mayflies are out along the water. Bullfrogs call. Peak fishing time begins for bullheads and bluegills. Minnows and chubs are flushed red for their mating season. Fleas multiply on your pets, a sign that insect activity is nearing the economic threshold on the farm. Spitbugs grow in the shelter of swamp parsnips, announcing that the first cut of hay will soon be under way.
May 5: Black tadpoles swim in the backwaters. Termites swarm. Bumblebees come out with the sun. Cabbage butterflies visit the developing cabbage sets. Daddy longlegs begin hunting in the undergrowth, and darners are out in the swamps.

Cliff swallows migrate as buckeyes and lilacs and garlic mustard come into full bloom. Yellow wood sorrel blossoms in the yard. Weevils build up in the alfalfa.
May 6: Morel season ends in the Appalachian Mountains, but is just beginning at higher elevations in the far West. The bright yellow arrowleaf balsamroot is flowering there, and cottonwoods fill out. Elk are migrating north into higher summer ranges, and cutthroat trout are getting ready to spawn in the cold mountain streams.

May 7: Canadian and nodding thistles start to flower beside the clovers, beginning in the South, and moving up to the East and Midwest, then out to the West Coast by the end of May. Flea beetles and leafhoppers bother the garden during clover and thistle season, and slugs reach their early peak.
May 8: Most dandelions have gone to seed by the time ruby-throated hummingbirds arrive at your feeders this week. There are buds on the black raspberries, mock orange, and mulberries. Sedum opens in the woods. Nettles are waist high along the fencerows.

Some maples are fully leafed, and some are dropping seeds. The high tree line is completely alive either with new glowing foliage or orange buds or golden flowers.