The merry month of May
I love May.
I was born in May and my wife Diane and I share a common May birth date. It is beautiful time of the year in Southwestern Pennsylvania. The damp and dreary days of late winter and early spring are over and the increased daylight brings a lot of sunshine that quickly warms the earth and transforms into an explosion of spring growth.
Green is everywhere and has now reached the top of the mountains. Lower elevations are showing signs of summer with trees in full bloom and colorful shrubs and flowers everywhere. Pleasant cool mornings quickly give way to the suns influence and become pleasant mild afternoons. The heat and humidity are still weeks away and all of this makes for a great time to get out and enjoy the beauty of our area. There is simply nothing like it. Our hills and valleys are so alive and our streams are singing their songs as they meander through our forests on the journey to distant parts.
Working in our gardens uncovers the joy of the new growth. A walk through the yard encounters a newly bloomed wildflower that was not their yesterday. An old Adirondack chair sitting next to a small stream in my backyard is a favorite spot to take coffee and listen to nature unfolding. The rat-tat-tat of woody looking for insects intersects with the singing of the birds as they busily build their nests to support the continuation of life.
On the ground the chipmunks and squirrels are busy with their lives and through the trees a few deer are forging on the new spring growth. Overhead a hawk soars through the woods, landing on a tree perch keeping a watch-full eye out for its next meal.
Like our lives, the seasons come and go so quickly and before we know it, a chapter is over and we wonder where it went. Outdoors is a great time to reflect on life and its meaning.
Perhaps it鈥檚 time for a walk in the woods to see some of our wildflowers that cling to our forest floor and hillsides. A bike ride on our Great Allegheny Passage will bring into view all kinds of wildlife, flowers, and the sights and sounds of our Youghiogheny River are among the best in the country. For our hunters, it is spring gobbler season and there is still some good trout fishing to be found in our local streams. The more adventuresome may want to go whitewater rafting in nearby Ohiopyle or canoe on one of our many lakes and streams.
May weather is usually pleasant for all these kinds of outdoor activities. Temperatures average 74 degrees for the high and 48 for our morning low. The increased daylight adds many hours of additional time for these activities. Rainfall in May averages 4 inches in most areas and 5 inches in the mountains, and can be expected to fall about 12 days each month. Much of our rainfall becomes more showery in May so after a shower we can still spend time outside. The forecast for the next 10 days is a bit unsettled with temperatures a bit on the cool side and rainfall a bit below average after the Friday and Sunday forecast of rain.