The bison now have 50 hectares of space to roam, but this is set to increase as the project develops over the years. We’re not in a good state and releasing bison as an ecosystem engineer will help reverse that situation,” according to Paul Whitfield, director general of Wildwood Trust. “Particularly in the UK, biodiversity levels are exceptionally low. “When the bison took their first steps into the wild just weeks ago, it was hard to imagine that anything could come close to the elation we felt in that moment, but here we are celebrating the arrival of a bison calf,” says Mark Habben, from the Wildwood Trust. Now a steppe bison calf has been born in the UK as part of an exceptional new rewilding project near Canterbury, Kent. The steppe bison lived in the UK until 6,000 years ago, when hunting led to their extinction. Prepare a tea flask and take the youngsters with you, a rare moment they won’t forget. Fact: ecologists have recently discovered that birds sing for a mate for only 50 per cent of the time – the other 50 per cent is for their pure pleasure and this month is their grand performance. This year it falls the day after the man-made spectacle of the Coronation, the dawn bringing good auspices for a new King. People often make a shared commitment to get up before sunrise so they can appreciate the natural spectacle. On the first Sunday of May there is the unmissable International Dawn Chorus Day, when birdsong is at its loudest in the whole year. But prepare your strawberries this month with some fresh straw in the beds and you’ll soon be ready for a garden party. Some plants, such as courgettes and chillies, may need a more gradual acclimatising, so a cold frame is still recommended. The great English woodland opens her door to scents of wild garlic and rivulets of bluebells In the garden, tomatoes can now be grown outside in relative safety from Jack Frost and spread their roots properly. Pond plants are fully in bloom and tadpoles are transfiguring into frogs.

The great English woodland opens her door, inviting us to scents of wild garlic, rivulets of bluebells and the flutterings of the Pearl-Bordered Fritillary. This month the blackbirds sing after dinner and there is light until 10pm! It’s the month to go outside and witness Shakespeare’s immortal words: “the darling buds of May.” There is much magic in the air: Beltane, The May Queen, Jack-in-the-Green, Morris dancers, all jolly festivities to help us throw off our winter coats and hang up our wellies.

The darling buds of may books in order