Mayflower - Symbol of Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia adopted the mayflower or trailing arbutus as its official flower in 1901. The Latin name for this flower is Epigaea repens.

Picking mayflowers is not illegal in Nova Scotia and many children would find these delightful flowers in early spring and pick a bunch to give to their mothers. Mayflowers normally bloom in early May and in England the mayflower was considered the symbol of the month of May.

The mayflower is the state flower of Massachusetts as well. It may have been named for the Mayflower, the ship that brought the pilgrims to Massachusetts.

The plant has shiny dark green oval shaped leaves and the tiny flowers are pink and white. The trumpet-shaped flowers form small clusters and they give off a spicy fragrance. The blossoms are edible too.

I remember growing up in Nova Scotia and repeating a rhyme and saying, ‘March winds and April showers bring Mayflowers in June, July, August…’ I am not sure we were trying to learn the months of the year or just talking about the weather.

I just googled this phrase and found out the saying can be traced back to England. A 1500s poet Thomas Tusser wrote, “Sweet April showers do spring May Flowers”.

When searching for ‘What does March winds and April showers bring forth May flowers mean?’ I found this.

March winds and the heavy rains of April are unpleasant things but this kind of weather brings about an abundance of beautiful flowers in May. So even the most unpleasant of things can bring about very enjoyable things.

I guess this saying is also a lesson in patience. Did your Mom quote this saying when you were growing up? Mine did.

# living life abundantly   # published author