The month of May is an absolutely awesome month to be outdoors in Pennsylvania. No matter what your interests are, there is something for everyone. Fishing, boating, gardening, bird watching, wild flowers and trees in bloom, as well as the new babies of our animal kingdom. There is so much to see and do you can plan a different outing every day.

I spent a few days working on the garden and have had great results so far. Spinach planted last fall is booming and part of our regular diet now. I have had to inspect my fence because deer, rabbits and groundhogs have also been inspecting the bounty! I don’t get too excited about them as long as they respect the fenced boundary.

Last year I had one fellow who kept trying to tunnel under but was foiled by my vigilance and repairs. With all the greenery out there, how do they zero in on a small garden plot?

The birds have migrated back north and we have been seeing humming birds, orioles, red-breasted grossbeaks, cat birds and towhees frequently. An interesting visitor to our region is the Sandhill Crane, which is expanding its range more east than before.

We have some resident cranes in our area that are very distinctive in their calling and in their appearance. Standing at 4½ feet tall with a 7-foot wingspan makes you stand out among the crowd with a weight of up to 10 pounds. They do have many predator enemies from horned owls to coyotes and bobcats. In the west, they deal with golden eagles and in the south the birds must deal with alligators. It sure doesn’t seem like they get a break!

I am also a big fan of the Pennsylvania wildflowers that are appearing everyday now. One of my favorite flowers to see emerge are the trout lily and the common blue violet. They are graceful, beautiful blossoms that would compete with any flower in any show venue. I am fortunate to have them blossom freely in my edges and grasslands. I have been known to cut grass like a patchwork quilt just to avoid mowing down a colony of my thriving violets.

The tree blossoms are out in full bloom and if the showing of blossoms is any indicator of apple production, it will be quite the crop year.

May is also the opening for statewide walleye fishing on May 7th, Fish-For-Free-Day on May 29th and for the National Safe Boating Week May 21-27.

I cannot stress the importance of safe boating enough. Unfortunately, people get excited to be on the waterways and just overlook some of the basics. I have been involved in boating rescues and also a boating accident. These incidents started out innocent enough with a planned day of fun activities.

The first accident involved rafting down the Slippery Rock Creek by McConnell’s Mill. I was with a bunch of college friends and we had a large raft in which we took turns running the rapids. We also had a small three-person raft but determined that it was too small…sort of. Three of us decided that we would try it out and get more rides…bad decision, the water was way too rough and the hydraulics sucked us under. We had life jackets on, but they did little to help us out. By the grace of God, we each popped up one by one and were pulled out safely.

While fishing at Pymatuning, we saw a lady who somehow capsized and was without a life jacket. Her small craft was drifting away from her and her family. We had not time to waste and I threw her my float cushion and told her to hang on to it as we righted her small boat and got her daughter and grandchildren back into it.

The family was hysterical as they cried out to help their grandma and mother and we went back to her. I pulled her to the side of the Fish Hawk and we put a regular PFD on her as she clutched the side of the boat. She was too weak to be pulled into the boat safely so we slowly took her to a nearby beach and walked her to shore and there she was reunited with her family. The only comment she made was “thank you so much for helping us, I never thought this would happen to me.”

I can only say that I know the feeling and once you have that experience you will never take it for granted to be following all the safe boating rules that the PA Fish & Boat Commission tries to educate us with and certainly enforce.

I remember a fellow who was all bent out of shape when he got a ticket for three kids without lifejackets out in a canoe. He claimed that he was a good swimmer and he would get the kids out safely. The WCO stated to him, “Which one are you going to save?”

Be safe out there boating and fishing — wear your PFD’s.

Jay Hewitt is an outdoors columnist for the Butler Eagle