The Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) is one of our most wild and magical native trees. Steeped in folklore and ancient tradition, they can live for up to 700 years.
It was once customary to plant one in every garden, and to this day, they can often be found marking many ancient sites and boundaries. They are a fundamental component of the British countryside, forming up to 70% of hedgerows. They support a plethora of wildlife, providing food and shelter to over 300 species of insects, dormice and other small mammals and many birds, including migrating species over the winter who feast on their berries.
They also play an important role in the wider landscape, storing carbon, improving and stabilising the soil and act as a windbreak, barrier and boundary.
Come May the hedgerows are an abundant mass of creamy Hawthorn blossom earning them the name ‘May tree’ as they flower just in time for Beltane – the festival of Nature’s abundance and fertility. They have long been central to ancient earth celebrations around this time of the year, and were seen as a symbol of fertility and a marker for the start of Summer.
Hawthorn is a safe and effective medicine of the cardiovascular and nervous system, and the leaves, flowers, and berries are all edible.
We love to gather the blossoms on our walks to make fresh tea, as well as drying some for later in the year to make a beautiful oxymel or tincture with both the blossoms and berries. This is a beautifully rich and abundant tree that a lot of species rely on so just like any plant, we gather just a little from many different trees to ensure lots of this beautiful blossom becomes the nutritious berries of Autumn.
Perhaps my favourite way to enjoy their medicine is by spending time in the tree’s presence, enjoying their blossom, watching insects visit them busily and breathing in their magic. As we do so, allowing any fears that may be holding us back unstick from our hearts and disperse with a slow gentle outbreath. Hawthorn can guide us to reconnect to ourselves and our magic, dispel fear and live from the heart.
We love crafting Wild Jewellery from this magical wood. I feel as though you can feel the ‘wildness’ through the wood. It often has interesting features, holes, markings and colours within.
I will leave you with this video that we created, celebrating the magic of Hawthorn,
With love,
Nic x
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Wild Fen 
How wonderful and interesting. 😀
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