In the latest instalment of her monthly series for Bloom in Doom, Rebecca Gibson shares some of the British wildlife highlights you can look out for during May.

Birds

The dawn chorus is one of Britain’s most spectacular wildlife spectacles. What starts off with a couple of early risers soon transforms into a vast choir of voices. One of the loveliest sounds to hear in May is the blackcap’s flute-like song, which has earned it the title of ‘northern nightingale’. While males have the titular black cap, females have a chestnut brown one instead. In past years blackcaps were all summer visitors from Europe, but more and more of these lovely warblers are overwintering here in the UK.

The kittiwake is the only gull species in the world that doesn’t have ‘gull’ in its English name. It’s a pelagic bird, which means it lives almost exclusively out at sea, except during the breeding season when it nests in clifftop colonies. Its name is onomatopoeic as their call really does sound similar to ‘kittiwake’. Although they’re white with blue-grey backs like the more common herring gulls, kittiwakes are smaller and have dark eyes, black legs and a lemon yellow bill.

Blackcap. Image: Rebecca Gibson — **Blackcap.** Image: Rebecca Gibson

Mammals

Hedgehogs breed any time between April and September, but things really heat up in May when mysterious huffing and grunting noises may be heard in the dark on a quiet evening. A male’s courtship involves circling a female while huffing and snorting, which attracts other males and can result in head-butting and chasing confrontations. Hedgehogs give birth to four or five hoglets in the summer.

Flora

There are only two species of iris which are native to the UK: stinking iris (which doesn’t actually stink but just smells faintly meaty when the leaves are crushed) and the more abundant yellow flag iris. This species likes boggy areas, marshes and pond edges. Their bright yellow flowers emerge from May to July and their leaves are sword-shaped. Yellow irises provide shelter for many insects and small mammals.

Newly planted yellow flag iris. Image: Rebecca Gibson — **Newly planted yellow flag iris.** Image: Rebecca Gibson

Fungi

While we usually associate fungi with autumn, the unseen tangled threads (called hyphae) are constantly growing. Some species produce fruiting bodies all year round, including jelly ear. Named for its resemblance to wrinkly human ears, this peculiar fungus is a tough species that can survive frosts.

Jelly ear. Image: Rebecca Gibson — **Jelly ear.** Image: Rebecca Gibson

For more writing and photography from Rebecca, visit her website.

This Month: British Wildlife in May

In the latest instalment of her monthly series for Bloom in Doom, Rebecca Gibson shares some of the British wildlife highlights you can look out for during May.