Only a few short weeks ago, woods were gray and naked, the winter browns of the lowlands grudgingly giving way to the early bloom of swamp maple. The white of dogwoods was beginning to fill in the shadowy woodlands; and willow catkins were swelling. Then the world burst with new life and fresh growth. May has spread a great canopy of chlorophyll over the land.

It seems that each year we must be reminded how fast our world spins.

By this month's full moon, which arrives Tuesday, May's gardens will have come into their own, bringing us to a season filled with unmatched beauty and romance, enhanced with billions of flowers.

Honey- and syrup-laden blossoms represent the rainbow in all its colors. There's the deep blue of spiderworts, the white of clover, trumpet vine-orange, the reds of wild rose, honeysuckle both yellow and white, and golden dandelions. All compete for the attention of the honeybees, a tribe endlessly seeking perpetuation through pollination.

Mid-May has all of summer's greenery, without all its heat and humidity.