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 