Welcome to as the season turns, a podcast following each month of the year, as the

head rose change, the full moons come and go, and nature takes its course in the

garden. I'm Leah Lander, a nature writer and author of The Almanac, a seasonal guide. This podcast is

brought to you by Fern, makers of small batch organic natural perfume, who blend, barrel age,

and bottle four fragrances a year, released at the equinoxes and solstices.

We hope that this brief guide to what to look for in the month ahead will awaken you to the rhythms of the year and help you, in the words of the poet Ray Carver, settle deeper into the seasons.

It's April, and there's no denying now that the year is getting into full swing. There is a sense now of life tripping over itself to get on, and it's all around us.

You have to remember that because our year in the British Isles is so strongly seasonal,

our wildlife and plants only have so long to get everything done.

They have to find mates, have babies,

and bring them to the sort of toughened and mature state

that will allow them to get through a cold winter,

all within the few warmer months.

So it's no wonder that the hedgerows and gardens are a bit of a frenzy now, as everything cracks on with the first task of the growing year,

if you catch my drift. It's certainly a lively and hopeful time for us too. The sun feels ever

warmer, and day length is stretching noticeably day by day. a lively and hopeful time for us too. The sun feels ever warmer

and day length is stretching noticeably day by day.

It's a good time of year.

The naming of April in the languages of the British Isles. Givlane in Scots-Gallic, April

in Scots and Ulster Scots, Avrain in Irish Gaelic, Averill in Manx, Evril in Welsh, Ebril in Cornish, and Avri in Geriae.

The Fasti Prenestini is an ancient Roman calendar carved in marble, or at least the remains of it.

Only parts of January, March, April and December survive, but it has left a tantalizing clue as to the origins of the name of this month.

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