In May, our hedgerows burst into life as Common Hawthorn erupts with masses of creamy-white blossom, colouring the landscape and giving this thorny shrub its other name of ‘May-tree’. During the autumn and winter, red fruits known as ‘haws’ appear. Common Hawthorn is a rich habitat for all kinds of wildlife from Hawthorn Shield Bugs and Yellowhammers that feed on the haws, to Wood Mice and Slow Worms that shelter in the thorny thickets.