Bealtaine shona dhíbh uilig!

It’s Beltane today and traditionally the first day of Summer in the ancient Irish and pagan calendar. May we have a good one this year - hopefully we won’t experience the washout we had in July-August 2007 again for many a long year.
The blackthorn (Prunus spinosa) is late in flowering this year - I noticed the first blooms only yesterday (30 April) - due to the unseasonably cold weather we’ve experienced throughout much of April. Last year it started flowering on 5 April 2007 - see here. I recorded first seeing the Whitethorn (aka May Flower, or Hawthorn) - Crataegus monogyna - coming into flower last year on 29 April 2007. This year there is no sign of it yet, though it is sporting a full set of leaves.

Of course today is Samhain and the first day of Winter down under (Australia and New Zealand) according to the pagan calendar. Samhain shona dhíbh uilig ansin! Hope you have a good one.