Welcome April (Almanac 2026)
Dates and seasonal ideas to bring you closer to Nature in April
WELCOME APRIL
The beginning of April brings a freshness and blossoming of new life that lifts the mood and lightens the heart. The extra hour of light is a gift, lengthening the days and lifting the spirit.
Birds will be migrating back to our shores this month so keep an eye out for Cuckoos, Swallows, House Martins, Sand Martins, Willow Warblers, Blackcaps, Ospreys, and various Warblers and Flycatchers. Our homeland birds such as the Great Tits will begin nesting, and Robins, Song Thrushes and Blackbirds will be in peak breeding and territorial mode, making them key contributors to the dawn and dusk choruses.
Bats are reappearing from their Winter hibernation and will be looking for places to roost away from their hibernation roosts in hollows, caves and old buildings. In ponds and rivers, the Little Stickleback fish will start the breeding cycle, making it highly active and visible in shallow, weedy waters like ponds, canals and ditches. Look out for the Common Newt darting about in waterways on your Nature walks this month.
One of the most beautiful sights of April has to be the Bluebells Woods, where carpets of this stunning saphhire blue flower spread across woodlands, pathways and grassy verges. It’s well worth visiting a woodland area to see if you can discover this gorgeous scene. On moorlands, healthland and field edges, you will find Gorse, Broom, Ladies Smock, Fern Crosiers, Dog Violet, Yellow Archangel and Greater Stitchwort starting to blossom.
One of my favourite things to discover on a walk in nearby woodland in April is the most beautiful flowers known as
‘Stars’ in the Woods' for their beautiful pure
white starry petals with golden yellow centres. They are similar to the Daisies we know and love which are featured as the birth flower of the month (see below). These delicate Wood Anemones grow very slowly because their seeds are mostly infertile which means they colonise woodlands mainly through their tiny twiggy rhizomes. It takes a hundred years for them spread six feet which is why they are a good indicator of nutrient-rich soils found only in ancient woodlands and undisturbed shady places.
Moon phases
- Thursday 2 April - FULL PINK MOON in Libra
- Friday 17 April - NEW FLOWER MOON in Aries
Sunrise and sunset (Devon, British Isles)
- Wednesday 1 April - Sunrise (6.51 am) - Sunset (7.49 pm)
- Thursday 30 April - Sunrise (5.51 am) - Sunset (8.34 pm)
Zodiac Signs
- Aries - March 21 - April 20
- Taurus -
April 21 - May 21
April's flower - Daisies
There are 30,000 species of this beautiful flower, loved for its brightness and simplicity. The name 'daisy' comes from the Old English ‘daes eage’ meaning ‘day’s eye’. The common English daisy has petals that close around a bright golden centre at night and re-open in the morning. This is a natural response to changes in light and temperature as if waking up every morning to greet the day.
Geoffrey Chaucer called Daisies 'the eye of the day' and ‘fresh as a Daisy’ means to be well-rested, healthy and energetic in spirit. These phrases originated in late 18th-century and refer to the flower's habit of closing its petals at night and reopening at dawn, symbolising a fresh, new start at the beginning of every day.
April's birthstone - Clear Quartz
April’s birthstone is a master healer that comes in the form of stunning clear crystal quartz that enhances energy flow and brings mind, body and soul into balance whether present in your home, carried on your person or worn as jewllery crafted in many different forms.
Renowned for its ability to stimulate positivity, Clear Quartz brings a clarity that seems almost impossible, like frozen ice, captured to enjoy forever more. It is no surprise that for thousands of years, people across the world have woven stories around this luminous crystal gem. From sacred rituals to mystical tools, Clear Quartz has long stood as a symbol of purity, power and spiritual connection.
Ancient and indigenous peoples believed these stones to be alive, and many cultures treasure them as incarnations of the Divine. Today’s healers know that crystals are living beings, incredibly old and wise, here to communicate with us when we are open and ready to receive their calming frequency of energy and love.
April's Folklore
- April showers bring May flowers.
- March search ye, April try ye.
- If the Oak is out before the Ash, then we are in for a splash; if the Ash is out before the Oak, then we are in for a soak.
- A cold May and a windy April, a full barn.
- When April blows his horn, 'tis good for hay and corn.
- If it thunders on All Fool’s Day, it brings good crops of corn and hay.
- A cold and moist April fills the cellar and fattens the cow.
April's Quote
Behold, my friends, the Spring is come; the Earth has gladly received the embraces of the Sun, and we shall soon see the results of their love.
Sitting Bull, Hunkpapa Lakota Leader
I hope you enjoy making the most of Nature through April for your good health, happiness and wellbeing. I look forward to seeing you here for the next Almanac on 1 May 2026.
Sue Cartwright
Spiral Leaf
Thank you for sharing!
for you, for me and for Mother Nature
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