FACTS ABOUT THE MONTH OF APRIL.

    Gemstone: Diamond.

                                                        Flower: Sweet pea.

Historians are not sure where April got it’s name from but it is believed to originate from the Latin word ‘aperire’ which means ‘to open’. April is the month when most of the flower buds on plants and trees start to open and things begin to grow again after the winter.

Eostre monath or Eastremonath was the Anglo -Saxon name for this month and it is from the Anglo- Saxons that the name of the Christian Festival of Easter comes from.

Superstitions:

 The Cuckoo.

The arrival of the cuckoo is the signal that spring has come. It arrives some time in mid-April but it’s sound is becoming scarce as it’s numbers are in decline. The cuckoo’s song can be heard from St. Tiburtius Day ( 14th April ) to St. John’s Day (24th June ).  Here is a old traditional rhyme about the summer life cycle of the Cuckoo.

In April I open my bill

In May I sing night and day

In June I change my tune

In July far far I fly

In August away I must.

In different parts of the country there are various dates in the month called ‘Cuckoo Day’ and some places even hold ‘Cuckoo Fairs;

Marsden Cuckoo Day ( West Yorkshire )

Heathfield Cuckoo Fair ( East Sussex )

Downtown Cuckoo Fair ( Salisbury Wiltshire )

It was also said that if you heard the Cuckoo’s call on St. Tiburtis Day and you turned over all the money in your pockets and spat on the ground without looking at it!  and if you were on soft ground, it would bring you good luck but if you were stood on hard ground when you did it, it’s call would bring you bad luck.

The Cuckoo.

The Swallow.

The Swallow also makes it’s reappearance in April after it’s migration flight from it’s winter hide away in Africa. In very olden times people were mystified by the sudden  disappearance of many migratory bird’s at the end of the summer and they thought that the Swallow spent the winter months hidden in the mud in the bottom of ponds. Traditionally April 15th is ‘Swallow Day’ the date that the first Swallow’s could be seen.

Weather - Lore, Beliefs and sayings.

Like many other months in the calendar April has it’s fair share of beliefs and sayings, here are just a few;

April showers bring May flowers.

If early April is foggy

Rain in June

Will make lanes boggy.

When April blows its horn

‘Tis good for hay and corn.

Other Dates to Remember.

April 1st.  April Fools Day also Palm Sunday and Daffodil Day all fall on April 1st this year.

        5th.   Maundy Thursday.

        6th.   Good Friday.

        8th.   Easter Sunday.

       17th.  St. Patricks Day.

       18th.  Mothering Sunday.

       19th.  Primrose Day. 

       23rd.  St. Georges Day.

       25th.  Start of British Summer Time.

       30th.  Walpurgis Night. ( Beltane Eve. )

Walpurgis Night.

Walpurgis night is a Celtic and a Viking celebration, the reason for the celebration by the Celts was to celebrate the coming of summer and to the Vikings it was to hasten the arrival of spring and summer and also to frighten away evil spirits. The lighting of Bonfires on hilltops and in villages was an essential part of the ceremony, in other parts of the world it would also include other customs and celebrations. It is not widely celebrated in Britain except in Scotland and in Ireland but it is in Northern Europe in Norway, Sweden and Finland being the main countries of this celebration.

Walpurgis Night Celebrations.

Love Is in the Air.

Love is in the air, spring is just around the corner. The weather seems to be more like normal so far for this month but whatever the weather is life has just begun again.

The Snowdrops have been nodding their dainty little heads in the gardens and hedgerows for several weeks now, Catkins and Pussy willows are in flower and the Crocus are all in flower, Daffodils also are bursting into bloom as I speak

A Host of Golden Daffodils.

Snowdrops at Hodsock Priory.

Hazel Catkins.

Pussy Willows.

and I am busy in my garden as new shoots in the perennial flower bed are pushing their way through.
The Goat Willow or Pussy Willow (Salix caprea) as it is commonly called was believed by the Druids to have healing properties the Druids called it "sunshine fire" because it could turn from Silver to Gold, they believed that it had a natural alchemy to be able to do this. The natural healing qualities of the willow are well known. One cure for "insomnia" was to put a piece of wood from a willow under your pillow and it will help you to fall asleep.

                                                             Looking For Signs Of Spring.
These are just a few of the signs of spring, on the 20^th of this month it will be the Vernal Equinox the first official day of Spring and as the time progresses we hopefully will see warmer weather arrive.

I love to get out and about in the countryside to see all the woodlands, hedgerows, listen to the birds singing their heads off, the Dawn Chorus is much better heard away from the town in the countryside.

The Rooks here have been busy since early February. They can now be seen in their nests preparing to lay.

The Rookery near where I live is alive with activity as the birds busy themselves repairing old nests and making new ones, I noticed that some birds are already sitting in their nests and either laying their eggs or even sitting on them as they start laying early March and the incubation period is a short one 16 to 18 days so by early April there will be young ones in the nests and the Rookery will become a very noisy busy hive of activity.

Ducks Nest. (very hard to spot.)

Mother and Ducklings.

Ducks have been pairing since October / November and have started treading while getting on with their nest building and so they to will be sitting eggs very soon. They nearly always nest near water but I have found nests over a couple of miles away from the nearest pond or river. They will often nest in trees and when I was a gamekeeper we often collected eggs for the incubator from a Christmas tree plantation where we would find their nests hidden under the the trees in thick cover, the nearest water was the Canal which was nearly a mile away.

 Rabbits and Hares are also busy, I have seen several Hares chasing around the fields and having their boxing matches, Rabbits have been bucking with their tell tale signs of their amorous activities to be seen around the warren.

bucking with their tell tale signs of their amorous activities to be seen around the warren.

Hares Boxing.

I have not found any Frogspawn yet, last year my pond had some in it quite early but I did find some spawn of the Toad on the banks of a pool the other day.

Frog Spawn.

 As spring moves on and Summer (if we have one arrives) we shall soon see Lambs gambolling around the fields, Fox cubs at play and the rest of the countryside will have turned into a pastel of colours as the various trees in our countryside burst into flower and leaf.

                                Yes spring is upon us love is in the air, enjoy it while you can.