What's in bloom in May?

[Maxsmom]

Hello fellow pilgrims, I'm working to book my first Camino in May 2025. One of the things I love about walking is seeing all of the flora and fauna along the way. I'll be starting SJPP in early May and walking for 2 weeks. I'm wondering what might be in bloom at that time?

Thanks and Happy Holidays to all!

 

[naplesdon]

Poppies are in abundance as well as fields of Rapeseed

 

[Bill905]

I have walked several Caminos in April and May. Here is just a sampling of what you can expect to see in bloom ...

A plethora of poppies


A bounty of buttercups


Billions of bluets


Dozens of daisies


Heavenly hibiscus


Glorious glads


An orchestration of orchid


Magnificent morning glories


Mounds of mint


Wonderful wisteria


Take your time ... stop and smell the flowers ... and maybe snap a photo or two ...

 

[GettingThere]

This was in Logroño, 1 May 2019. My favorites - glorious chestnut candles!

 

[SYates]

Hello fellow pilgrims, I'm working to book my first Camino in May 2025. One of the things I love about walking is seeing all of the flora and fauna along the way. I'll be starting SJPP in early May and walking for 2 weeks. I'm wondering what might be in bloom at that time?

Thanks and Happy Holidays to all!

Absolutely everything! Walking in May you will be in for an abundant blossoms treat!
BC SY

 

[Paladina]

Take your time ... stop and smell the flowers ... and maybe snap a photo or two …

gorgeous gallery, and do stop and admire, but most of these flowers are unscented

 

[Pelegrin]

This was in Logroño, 1 May 2019. My favorites - glorious chestnut candles!
View attachment 182746

This tree I think is a horse chestnut ( castaño de Indias in Spanish). There are no chestnuts in Logroño.

 

[GettingThere]

This tree I think is a horse chestnut ( castaño de Indias in Spanish). There are no chestnuts in Logroño.

Yes, sorry I meant horse chestnut. Typing too quickly! The horse chestnut blossoms are so spectacular, and I love them because they remind me of where I grew up in England. There were some gorgeous ones in Burgos too, as I recall.

 

[AchimBerlin]

Even in a cool Mid-May in the Galician mountains there were lots of flowers and colours. Here a few impressions from the Invierno:



Cistus
some gardens

Poppies


Broom-shrubs everywhere in white and yellow

Lavender

Calla flowers in a road-ditch

and my favourite:


Have fun!

 

[MamaBear]

Hello fellow pilgrims, I'm working to book my first Camino in May 2025. One of the things I love about walking is seeing all of the flora and fauna along the way. I'll be starting SJPP in early May and walking for 2 weeks. I'm wondering what might be in bloom at that time?

Thanks and Happy Holidays to all!

Same - see you out there. Hoping for the same

 

[MamaBear]

I have walked several Caminos in April and May. Here is just a sampling of what you can expect to see in bloom ...

A plethora of poppies
View attachment 182727

A bounty of buttercups
View attachment 182728

Billions of bluets
View attachment 182729

Dozens of daisies
View attachment 182730

Heavenly hibiscus
View attachment 182731

Glorious glads
View attachment 182732

An orchestration of orchid
View attachment 182733

Magnificent morning glories
View attachment 182734

Mounds of mint
View attachment 182735

Wonderful wisteria
View attachment 182736

Take your time ... stop and smell the flowers ... and maybe snap a photo or two ...

Nice when do the fields of sunflowers come out i have seen pictures of …

 

[AchimBerlin]

Nice when do the fields of sunflowers come out i have seen pictures of …

More like July/August

 

[Bumpa]

Poppies are in abundance as well as fields of Rapeseed

I initially saw this as "people" are in abundance.

 

[Stephan the Painter]

Poppies are in abundance as well as fields of Rapeseed

It's true, they'll be lots of flowers, but mostly you'll see poppies and rapeseed. Red and yellow.

 

[naplesdon]

I initially saw this as "people" are in abundance.

Ha, ha!

 

[bullingtonce]

Hello fellow pilgrims, I'm working to book my first Camino in May 2025. One of the things I love about walking is seeing all of the flora and fauna along the way. I'll be starting SJPP in early May and walking for 2 weeks. I'm wondering what might be in bloom at that time?

Thanks and Happy Holidays to all!

I consider myself a botany expert. What is in bloom during this period is Camino souls? Their flowering is something to behold. Chuck

 

[Bill905]

A view from above as I headed to Moissac a few years ago. Fields of yellow. In Canada it is called Canola; in much of France it is referred to as Colza; aka Rapeseed (Brassica napus).

 

[JerryStroebele]

A great guide for you would be "The Way of the Gardener, Lost in the Weeds along the Camino de Santiago, by Lynden Penner, University of Regina Press, 2021. Fascinating. All about the flora and fauna. He walked in September but observed every living thing. People too! Also available on Kindle. Buen Camino

 

[Maxsmom]

Thank you all so very much for the images, reports and the book suggestion- I'm even more excited about my walk on the Way!

 

[naplesdon]

I have walked several Caminos in April and May. Here is just a sampling of what you can expect to see in bloom ...

A plethora of poppies
View attachment 182727

A bounty of buttercups
View attachment 182728

Billions of bluets
View attachment 182729

Dozens of daisies
View attachment 182730

Heavenly hibiscus
View attachment 182731

Glorious glads
View attachment 182732

An orchestration of orchid
View attachment 182733

Magnificent morning glories
View attachment 182734

Mounds of mint
View attachment 182735

Wonderful wisteria
View attachment 182736

Take your time ... stop and smell the flowers ... and maybe snap a photo or two ...

 

[naplesdon]

I have walked several Caminos in April and May. Here is just a sampling of what you can expect to see in bloom ...

A plethora of poppies
View attachment 182727

A bounty of buttercups
View attachment 182728

Billions of bluets
View attachment 182729

Dozens of daisies
View attachment 182730

Heavenly hibiscus
View attachment 182731

Glorious glads
View attachment 182732

An orchestration of orchid
View attachment 182733

Magnificent morning glories
View attachment 182734

Mounds of mint
View attachment 182735

Wonderful wisteria
View attachment 182736

Take your time ... stop and smell the flowers ... and maybe snap a photo or two ...

I think your buttercups are rapeseed, just saying.

 

[trecile]

Late May/early June 2024

 

[Keyser]

The poppies on the Meseta alone are worth the trip.

 

[Keyser]

The poppies on the Meseta alone are worth the trip.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

The poppies on the Meseta alone are worth the trip.

Absolutely incredible! I've walked 10+ Caminos and a majority were in spring, and have never seen flowers this thick and profuse!

 

[AllisonMarie]

I initially saw this as "people" are in abundance.

There will be those too!

 

[trecile]

Absolutely incredible! I've walked 10+ Caminos and a majority were in spring, and have never seen flowers this thick and profuse!

I don't know when @Keyser took their picture, but some locals told me that this past spring that weather conditions made it a super year for wildflowers.

 

[Keyser]

I’d love to be able to claim responsibility but that picture was taken by an Irish peregrino in May/June 2024. As far as I remember his photographic log was posted on the forum.

 

[MinnehonkTom]

I walked the Camino Portugues in May and was agog at all the flowers - coming from Maine in the US where winter was just ending. I took photo after photo. Here are just three.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

@MinnehonkTom, I have similar pictures of those different types of foliage cascading on the stone walls while walking past.

This is one of my very favorite flowers I've seen on several different Caminos. They are very interesting and "three-dimensional".

 

[AchimBerlin]

@MinnehonkTom, I have similar pictures of those different types of foliage cascading on the stone walls while walking past.

This is one of my very favorite flowers I've seen on several different Caminos. They are very interesting and "three-dimensional".
View attachment 182827

That’s a passiflora or passionflower

 

[Camino Chrissy]

That’s a passiflora or passionflower

Yes, passion flowers!

 

[CTLawGal]

I walked the Morte and Primitivo in April and May, so many of the same flowers others have posted. I have an album of over 400 Camino flowers. I have many of the same flowers others have posted, brings back so many beautiful memories. The fields of red poppies were enchanting, and made me feel a little like I was in a Monet painting. I was also enchanted to see foxgloves growing wild - especially since I worked so hard to grow them in my own garden.

 

[Tali]

I have walked several Caminos in April and May. Here is just a sampling of what you can expect to see in bloom ...

A plethora of poppies
View attachment 182727

A bounty of buttercups
View attachment 182728

Billions of bluets
View attachment 182729

Dozens of daisies
View attachment 182730

Heavenly hibiscus
View attachment 182731

Glorious glads
View attachment 182732

An orchestration of orchid
View attachment 182733

Magnificent morning glories
View attachment 182734

Mounds of mint
View attachment 182735

Wonderful wisteria
View attachment 182736

Take your time ... stop and smell the flowers ... and maybe snap a photo or two ...

love your poetry!

 

[60LifeChange]

Hello fellow pilgrims, I'm working to book my first Camino in May 2025. One of the things I love about walking is seeing all of the flora and fauna along the way. I'll be starting SJPP in early May and walking for 2 weeks. I'm wondering what might be in bloom at that time?

Thanks and Happy Holidays to all!

Will be doing the same, and it appears we are leaving roughly the same time... my first, walking until I am done. Looking forward to the journey

 

[Maxsmom]

Will be doing the same, and it appears we are leaving roughly the same time... my first, walking until I am done. Looking forward to the journey

Hi yep my first - planning to walk about 2 weeks. Staying at Botda first night Have just turned 71

 

[Keyser]

I was also enchanted to see foxgloves growing wild - especially since I worked so hard to grow them in my own garden

In Ireland they are called Fairy Fingers.

BTW The poppy field photo I attached was taken by a Joseph Shields.

 

[60LifeChange]

Hi yep my first - planning to walk about 2 weeks. Staying at Botda first night Have just turned 71

Turning 63 next year... looking forward to retirement among many things....

 

[CTLawGal]

n Ireland they are called Fairy Fingers.

OMG! LOVE this!

 

[CTLawGal]

Here is one of my poppy pictures

 

[Keyser]

The blog with the poppy photos and much more great photos & writing is

JJ’s Camino Adventure IV | Notion

Welcome!

jjcamino.notion.site

 

[Camino Chrissy]

OMG! LOVE this!

Foxglove is also called "Digitalis" and has medical uses.

 

[Paladina]

View attachment 182830

I was also enchanted to see foxgloves growing wild - especially since I worked so hard to grow them in my own garden.

Digitalis has become a glorious coloniser of my wild garden. I sowed the first few seeds, but thereafter, the plants have rapidly multiplied as if by prestidigitation: a gardener’s reward for enduring a notoriously wet climate.

 

[Keyser]

Fairy Fingers in an Irish wood

 

[Camino Chrissy]

Fairy Fingers in an Irish woodView attachment 182857

Wow, I've never seen such a plethora of them on any of my Caminos! I read that the United States we have none.

 

[trecile]

Wow, I've never seen such a plethora of them on any of my Caminos! I read that the United States we have none.

Foxglove isn't native to North America, but definitely grows here. I've grown it myself in Oregon.

Digitalis purpurea - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

 

[CTLawGal]

Foxglove isn't native to North America, but definitely grows here

For me, seeing it grow in the wild was just so spectacular, something I've never seen in the US. I remember one evening remarking on it over dinner, asking another Pilgrim if he had noticed the big patch right before the town. He shrugged and said something like it's just a weed that grows everywhere; he hadn't noticed it. On the other hand, for me any mass of flowers growing in a field is pure delight. Many, many pictures of meadows with blooms gently waiving in the wind

 

[CTLawGal]

 

[Camino Chrissy]

Foxglove isn't native to North America, but definitely grows here. I've grown it myself in Oregon.

Digitalis purpurea - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

Yes, I know we can purchase small.plants for our gardens and also many other varieties found elsewhere. . I was just surprised to learn that it does not grow wild in N.America as it does in Europe.

 

[Pelegrin]

In Galicia there was a lot of gorse in the past. Now much of it has been replaced by pastures and eucaliptus It blooms from December to June. I think that there must be quite a few on the Camiño dos Faros that makes this camiño more beautiful but also harder.

 

[CTLawGal]

In Galicia there was a lot of gorse in the past. Now much of it has been replaced by pastures and eucaliptus It blooms from December to June. I think that there must be quite a few on the Camiño dos Faros that makes this camiño more beautiful but also harder.

Thank you for sharing, this looks so beautiful! Will have to add this to my list!

 

[CTLawGal]

I had wondered what that was, I didn’t see many fields of it in the Primitivo, jmostly scattered bushes here and there, and by mid-May the blooms were not quite so profuse. The early morning light would make the remaining blossoms glow. Anyway I think these were gorse

 

[Pelegrin]

I had wondered what that was, I didn’t see many fields of it in the Primitivo, jmostly scattered bushes here and there, and by mid-May the blooms were not quite so profuse. The early morning light would make the remaining blossoms glow. Anyway I think these were gorseView attachment 182869View attachment 182870View attachment 182871

I think that second and third photos are not gorse ( toxo in Galego). I think that they are broom ( xesta). The first one could be gorse or broom (I don' t know).

 

[Camino Chrissy]

I think that second and third photos are not gorse ( toxo in Galego). I think that they are broom ( xesta). The first one could be gorse or broom (I don' t know).

I was going to mention broom, but wasn't sure. Thanks for drawing a comparison between them.

 

[buridan]

depends on where you are, in Leon in the dry parts, lots of thyme and lavendar, and in galicia lots of false lavendar

 

[GettingThere]

This was May 2015 - probably further than the OP will be walking, but one of my favorite parts, between the Cruz de Ferro and Molinaseca. Wonderful colours - heather purple and white, broom white and gold, lavender, even orchids. Just beautiful.

 

[Maxsmom]

Might not go that far on this trip but perhaps 2026!

 

[Camino Chrissy]

This was May 2015 - probably further than the OP will be walking, but one of my favorite parts, between the Cruz de Ferro and Molinaseca. Wonderful colours - heather purple and white, broom white and gold, lavender, even orchids. Just beautiful.
View attachment 182958

This is exactly the month and year that I walked this same stretch. It was one of my favorite and most memorable days. Here are a few of my favorites taken on May 5th, 2015.

 

[Jude Rich]

Hello fellow pilgrims, I'm working to book my first Camino in May 2025. One of the things I love about walking is seeing all of the flora and fauna along the way. I'll be starting SJPP in early May and walking for 2 weeks. I'm wondering what might be in bloom at that time?

Thanks and Happy Holidays to all!

Absolutely everything! I walked May/June 2024 and it was amazing. Not just the natural flowers but also the roses, calla lilies, cherry trees hydrangeas in private gardens …everything is spectacular!
But a word of warning if you are inclined to allergies. The flowers are above and below you consistently and after weeks of being up close and personal with blossoms I had really terrible hay fever. I couldn’t remember at the right farmacia times to buy medication so sleep was difficult until I was desperate. Remember to bring your own from home! I won’t in future. I guess that’s the price for spectacular colours and greens too when you walk in spring.

 

[CTLawGal]

Absolutely everything! I walked May/June 2024 and it was amazing. Not just the natural flowers but also the roses, calla lilies, cherry trees hydrangeas in private gardens …everything is spectacular!
But a word of warning if you are inclined to allergies. The flowers are above and below you consistently and after weeks of being up close and personal with blossoms I had really terrible hay fever. I couldn’t remember at the right farmacia times to buy medication so sleep was difficult until I was desperate. Remember to bring your own from home! I won’t in future. I guess that’s the price for spectacular colours and greens too when you walk in spring.

I guess it's a little different for everyone, and depends what you're allergic to - I brought allergy stuff, but found I didn't actually need it for the 8 weeks I was in Spain. My allergist strongly recommended that I start taking Allegra 1-2 days before return home (early June) and again on landing in the US because the trees would be in high pollen then, which I did. But it's a good point, if you suffer from allergies, be prepared and have what you need on you so you don't have to rely on finding a pharmacy that has what you need and you can nip it in the bud (no pun intended)

 

[Donna Sch]

More like July/August

Early June on the caminos starting in Andalusia.

 

[AK2112]

This is from Primitivo in April 2023, I have no idea what they are called.

 

[JustJack]

This was May 2015 - probably further than the OP will be walking, but one of my favorite parts, between the Cruz de Ferro and Molinaseca. Wonderful colours - heather purple and white, broom white and gold, lavender, even orchids. Just beautiful.
View attachment 182958

This was one of my favourite days walking the CF. Weather was perfect and the smells were wonderful.

 

[JustJack]

Keep your eye out for this field of daisies at Pedrafita de Cebriero.

Can you imagine if this spot was easily accessible to non-pilgrims - the endless stream of Instagram “influencers” frolicking through the flowers in their perfect sundresses hats and makeup, “influencing” us… the horror.

 

[CTLawGal]

This is from Primitivo in April 2023, I have no idea what they are called.View attachment 183218

I saw these on the Primitivo as well, also in other colors , including purples and whites. I think they are African Daisies, but there may be a more technical name. I think, but am not sure, that they are cultivated as ornamental flowers, but where I saw them in Spain, they seemed to have naturalized and grow as a perennial, where I live they don't survive the winter and are grown as annuals.

 

[Keyser]

My advisor on such matters suggests they look like Cape Daisybush, an introduction from South Africa.