"Ne'er cast a clout 'til may is out!" Well the may is out in April nowadays and so you would be advised to keep your clout on a little longer as the wind often remains quite chilly.
May is the country name for hawthorn, not surprisingly because it comes out in May! That said, in recent years it has often blossomed in April due to the milder winters we have had.
Like blackthorn, hawthorn is a member of the rose family and has white, five petalled flowers. On blackthorn the flowers come before the leaves, on hawthorn the leaves come before the flowers. Blackthorn flowers first and as it fades so hawthorn steps in to keep our hedgerows shining white.
Common across the country, hawthorn can be seen almost anywhere from town parks to country hedgerows. In autumn, those flowers will have turned to the red berries we know as haws.
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