May has arrived with warmer temperatures and longer days. The trees are sprouting green leaves, and so are a lot of the plants in the garden or out in the field or forest. The hummingbirds have arrived, and a variety of flowers are in bloom to feed the hummingbirds and other flying pollinators.

The sound of tree frogs and American toads has replaced the early spring chorus made by the early emerging wood frogs and spring peepers, which tells us that warmer weather is on its way. Occasionally, the snoring sound of a pickerel frog or two can be heard near lakeshores and wetlands. Newly arriving bird species make their presence known by their courtship calls; woodland singers such as the ovenbird, wood thrush or veery can be heard calling as part of their spring breeding.

If you are feeding the birds, you might want to safeguard your feeders and suet blocks; bears have emerged along with new cubs, and seed is high on their forage list. Trash cans also attract bears; consider not putting the trash out until the day of collection. 

You might spot young animals over the course of the spring season. From birds to foxes to deer, many animals have their young now. Enjoy these young animals from a respectable distance, and remember that if you see a young fledgling on the ground, or a fawn seemingly abandoned by its mother, nature is providing for the young. Watch from afar as the fledgling gathers its wits and flies up to a perch and the fawn gains the use of its legs after its birth and rejoins its mother. Enjoy the sights and sounds of life in the warm breezes of May.