May has been named after the Greek goddess Maia and was in turn linked to the Roman goddess Bona Dea, of fertility.

After a warm and sunny March and April which has broken many records, in various parts of the country, we have arrived in May and begin to wonder what it may provide us with.

On the canals we should start to see the Mayflies.

The name in Latin Ephemeroptera which translates to “around for a day”

This is to us humans a very short life, the male Mayfly makes full use of his time, even though it could prove to be only a few short hours.

The male Mayflies hatch and will theyare seen to gather in swarms, we often see them dancing just above the water of a pond river or canal.

They have large eyes which are adapted to low light vision, as females can often be found in dark shadowed areas, this enables the males to spot a female enabling them to find a mate,in a relatively short time.

With slightly longer legs the males are able to clasp the females, allowing the act of mating to take place with ease. This is the beginning of the end for the males as after fulfilling their function of continuing the species, they quickly die

The females live for a few extra days, this enables them to lay her eggs on the water surface and produce the next generation of Mayflies.

For the Canal dweller May is a fantastic month for observing nature at work.

The waterfowl have young in abundance, flowers are bursting into life, trees now provide a pea green canopy.

This must be one of the most enjoyable months for observing the new life of the year.