Merry month of May
I love May. It is a 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 lots of sunshine that quickly warms the earth and transforms into an explosion of spring growth.
Greening of our hills and valleys is everywhere and is quickly spreading to the top of the mountains. Lower elevations are showing signs of summer with trees in full bloom and colorful shrubs and flowers everywhere.
Mountain locations are about 10 days later in their blooms and it gives folks another opportunity to visit spring. We are fortunate to live in the land of two springs; all we need do is take a ride into the mountains to see what we saw last week in the lower elevations.
Pleasant, cool mornings quickly give way to the sun鈥檚 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.
Today we hiked along the bike trail at Bruner Run and were treated to the awakening of the tiger swallowtail butterflies and the blooming of millions of lavender Wild Geraniums. It鈥檚 truly magnificent and most wooded trails have these beauties. They love the trail edge which gives them the right amount of light and sunshine to be so spectacular.
In the trees above we could hear the rat-tat-tat of woody looking for insects along 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 foraging on the new spring growth. Overhead a hawk soars through the woods landing on a tree branch keeping a watchful 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 adventurous 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 kinds of outdoor activities. Temperatures average 74 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 3.60 inches and can be expected to fall about 10 days each month. Much of our May rainfall is showery, so after the shower we can still spend time outside.
After a cool weekend, the forecast for early May looks to be on the mild side with rainfall just a bit below average, great weather to experience the outdoors in our beautiful southwestern Pennsylvania.