Wow what a spectacular year for Hawthorn flowers! I have never seen such a great display up and down the country, that lasted for so long. It got me thinking about Hawthorn and what a fantastic tree it is, for so many reasons. I think perhaps the humble Hawthorn is a bit underappreciated.
Hawthorn/Mayflower/Maytree/Quickthorn/Thornapple/Hawberry! So many names for this special tree. It must be one of the most common plants in the UK because of its use in hedgerows. Where it is normally planted as the predominant species. It grows well in most conditions, it is thorny and dense, it responds well to being cut and doesn’t snap easily making it excellent for hedging.
And it has got to be one of the best habitat providers. It flowers profusely providing pollen for insects, then fruits, providing food for lots of different species of birds and small mammals. The thick thorny structure provides safe shelter and shade. The leaves are food for many species of caterpillar, which are in turn are food for birds.
When the flowers are pollinated by insects, the haws develop. These look much like rose hips (Hawthorn is part of Rosaceae family) and are edible. There are lots of recipes online for jams, ketchups, wine and tinctures. They are claimed to be full of antioxidants and an anti-inflammatory, to bring down blood pressure, and many more health benefits!
The wood is a lovely orangey brown colour and very dense, making it popular for wood working. It is also an extremely good fire wood and has a sweet-smelling smoke.
There is much folklore and mythology surrounding Hawthorn. It symbolises fertility in Paganism. Was the home of fairy’s in Gaelic folklore. It allegedly protects cattle from witches. And some say Christ’s crown was made from Hawthorn.
Given all the beauty, habitat, usefulness, health benefits and interest that Hawthorn provides, just imagine how devastating it would be if the species got wiped out by a disease, like we sadly are seeing more and more with other species.