Years ago, I received a phone call from Melissa, my cousin in Philadelphia. It was early May and she wanted to know about a baby hummingbird hovering over a small patch of flowers. After 27 years of tending to my hillside garden in Vermont, I knew the “baby” was actually a hawk moth, also known as sphinx moth.
Hummingbirds and hawk moths tend to favor the same deep tubular flowers and are renowned for their hovering capabilities. Both are impressively fast fliers—hawk moths have been clocked at 33 miles per hour and hummingbirds can fly 60 miles per hour during their dramatic courtship dives.
Signs of spring are budding and blooming. The ephemerals are blooming, with trout lilies, red trillium and tiny spring beauties taking advantage of the abundant sunlight, before trees fully leaf out over the next few weeks.
On the edges of shady, pine needle-covered forest trails, one of the first welcome (and rare) sights is trailing arbutus, appropriately known as mayflower. This beautiful trailing ground cover is scarce, as it was gathered in great amounts to be sold in Boston and other flower markets in the 1800s. In 1900 Connecticut passed a law making it illegal to pick the flowers or uproot the plant. It grows slowly and has specific soil and habitat requirements, which has hampered its recovery since.
Mother’s Day is another highlight of May. One favorite (if embarrassing) Mother’s Day memory is from when I was a new bride and invited my sister-in-law, a new mother, to lunch. She asked what was on the menu and I mentioned a “crustless quickie.” She was confused until I described the dish and we figured out I was mispronouncing “quiche”! It’s been more than 50 years, and the story is still retold by family members.
My recipe is long gone but several sites have simple crustless quiches you might want to try.