Dear Aspiring Microbe Whisperers.

This is my May Day post. It was a bit delayed but still in time for the lovely fragrance of lilac blooms and the sharing of other Springtime treats! Lilacs are very special to me, as they were my mother's favorite flower.

I enjoyed photographing lilac blooms and sending them to her for Mother's Day!

Now, I photograph them and feel her as potently present as the strong scent of lilacs.

Microbes Help Flowers Grow

Yes, April showers bring May flowers! And soil microbes gift our favorite flowers with important nutrients like fixed nitrogen. Microbe communities swarm around the plant's rhizospheres (the area occupied by the root system) bringing rich fertility that flows into the lilac shrub trunks and spreads vibrantly into all their branches, lighting up their leaves with energy and granting the lilac the power to bloom every springtime!

Essential oils in flowers are what grant them their intoxicating fragrance.

The alluring oil aroma combined with their beauteous hue, is what attracts pollinators. But the essential oils also serve to prevent blight from pathogenic microbes. Here is an article on how to treat blight if it plagues your lovely garden of lilacs.

Here is a list of the essential oils and aromatic compounds that are found in lilacs.

These oils and compounds act as antimicrobials and antibiotics to keep lilacs fungus, and bacteria free. (Read full article at Microbe Science ).

Lilacs for Health and Beauty

Lilacs have medicinal properties, can be consumed as food and added to your beautification routine.

Medicinally lilac essential oils can be used as an antifungal agent and be applied to reduce a fever. Learn more about medicinal uses here. As a delicacy you can create sweets, and drinks using lilacs and lilac essential oils. See Lilac foods.

And to give your favorite Mom a homemade lilac-infused face cream, check out these recipes here.

May pole revelers (Credit: Donna Conrad).

Cherry Blossom Video

Cherry blossoms also have medicinal properties which you can read about here.

"I've got sunshine, on a cloudy day. When it's cold outside, I have the month of May...!"(Credit: "The Temptations.")

I was fortunate to view the cherry blossoms in May, in Washington DC. I created a video set to music, to celebrate a wonderful May day visiting the Japanese cherry trees (gifts from Tokyo, Japan) in full bloom at the National Mall in Washington DC.

This was once upon a time,

when the world was not suffering from a pandemic, and we could smile at each other, maskless and free from virus cares. I hope you enjoy the show, and that it adds to your delight as you celebrate May 2021!

With Joy, JeM