I have created a discount code for you too, as a little Beltane treat, so don’t forget to scroll on down to receive it.
As April gives way to May, the hedgerows come alive with the creamy blossoms of the Hawthorn tree. It is estimated that Hawthorn makes up around 70% of our hedgerows in the UK, spreading across the land, nourishing the wild world from the ground up.
This is a tree steeped in folklore and ancient tradition, particularly at this time of the year where it is a symbol of Summer’s arrival and the fertility of the land.
Wearing Hawthorn, is to follow in the footsteps of our ancestors, who wore Hawthorn as a way of pledging their allegiance to the earth. Talismans of luck and protection, of wisdom and connection.
These pieces will be in store at 7pm this evening, and as a thank you for being here with us and supporting our work we have created a 20% discount code that can be used on any of our Wild Jewellery pieces until Tuesday.
Simply enter the code NEWSLETTER20 at the checkout orfollow the link here to add the discount to your basket.
How are you as we reach Spring’s peak? The wind has been wild here the past few days and I am finding myself invigorated and seeking shelter in equal measure!
I am writing today’s newsletter, under the watchful eye of this little Hawthorn tree that has been growing from a seed we planted the Autumn before last.
This year’s seedlings are continuing to break through the surface! We have Apple, Hornbeam, Oak and Walnut treelets all doing well so far.
As we reach Beltane, the midpoint between the Spring Equinox and the Summer Solstice, the land feels a buzz with life. I have felt a strong urge to really ‘sink in’ to the land around me in the simplest of ways.
Sometimes that has looked like lying in the garden and feeling the support of the ground against my body. Other times it has been walking up to the woods and sitting with my back against a tree, noticing the sounds, colours and textures of the world around me.
Simple, connected and deeply nurturing, I will be doing more of the same in the coming days.
If you would like to read more about this time of the year, associated plants and trees and other simple rituals, you may enjoy our Guide to Beltane.
May’s arrival is synonymous with the blooming of the Hawthorn blossom throughout the hedgerows. Just like the flowering of the Bluebells, it is another important marker of the Wild Year, and I can’t resist spending a few moments in the company of this magical tree.
Hawthorns have long been associated with magic, healing and protection. Once a custom to plant a tree outside every house for good luck, they are still found marking many sacred sites around the country.
Hawthorn is believed to aid connection to our intuition and the wisdom of the natural world. A medicine for the heart and the nervous system, they can guide us to reconnect to ourselves and our magic, dispel fear and live from the heart.
You can explore more about this mighty little tree here:
We have, of course been inspired to work with the wild energy of Hawthorn this week and have a few special pieces that will be in store this Sunday at 7pm.
I will introduce you to all the pieces in my next newsletter, on Sunday.
We will be in Ely for the Food, Drink and Craft Fair on Sunday 3rd and Monday 4th May.
Full Moon in Scorpio
And before I go, don’t forget to keep an eye out for the Full Moon rising tomorrow evening, May 1st, from around 8.45pm onwards (although do check the timing for your location). It will be rising around an hour earlier tonight and will look fabulous too!
Whatever you do this weekend, I hope you find a moment to sink in to the grounding energy of the land.
Did you know that it is National Hedgerow Week here in the UK and in my opinion, one of the best times of year to enjoy this special habitat.
Hedgerows can be found throughout the countryside, lining tracks and field edges and marking boundaries. They play an important role in urban areas too, surrounding parks, fields, and gardens. As the UK’s largest wildlife habitat, they provide homes, shelter and food to over 2000 species, including frogs, newts, birds, mammals, and insects.
As well as being a refuge for wildlife, hedgerows also help reduce flooding, soil erosion and air pollution. I feel very lucky to live beside one that is currently filled with frothy Hawthorn blossom, fresh green leaves and the buzz of life, you can enjoy it with me here!
Hedgerows can vary in species, with rural hedges often a mixture of shrubs and trees, including hawthorn, blackthorn, hazel,elder, ash and oak. In urban and landscaped settings you are more likely to find species like box, yew, privet and holly.
Hedgerow Jewellery
To celebrate the beauty and magic of the hedgerow this year, we have crafted some pendants from the woods of some of our favourite hedgerow trees, all of which are in store now.
I think of May engulfing the land in a vibrant cloak of green and blossoms. One of my favourite things to do this month is stand beneath the canopies of newly opened Beech, Oak or Horse Chestnut leaves and feel the light find its way down to me, filtered through their green pigments. My other joy of the month is of course the Hawthorn or May tree that fills our hedgerows and trackways with its creamy white blossom.
In today’s post we will be introducing you to our 9 Hawthorn pendants, a new Smoke Cleansing Incense blend and giving you first access to both…
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.
Wild Fen 