The podcast delves into the hot-weather roots of July's names, provides charms against pests, and offers gardening tips. It features a folktale about fairies and a song capturing childhood summers. The episode also includes a short performance, original music, and insights on fragrances and nostalgia of July.
July marks the harvesting season in ancient calendars, tied to the shift from growth to fruiting.
Ancient woodlands in July play a crucial role in cooling through transpiration, impacting climate systems.
Deep dives
July as the Last Month of Summer
July was traditionally seen as the last month of summer due to the agricultural patterns of the year. In ancient calendars, including Roman and Welsh, July was considered as a time when crops shifted from growth to fruiting and ripening, marking the beginning of the harvest season. The term 'July' itself is derived from Julius Caesar, who named the month after himself in recognition of his calendar reforms. Other languages depict July as the 'end of summer' based on various cultural and agricultural associations.
July in Ancient Woodlands
July signifies a peak in activity for ancient woodlands, with trees reaching their maximum growth and transpiration rates. The transpiration process, where water evaporates from plant leaves to cool the surroundings, is a crucial cooling mechanism for forests. Larger trees with deep roots have a more significant cooling effect and influence weather patterns. The cooling capacity of old-growth forests showcases their ability to impact local and global climate systems, emphasizing the essential role of biodiversity and transpiration.
Interactions with Garden Pests in July
In July, the garden becomes a vibrant ecosystem teeming with pests like wasps, moles, and mice. Adopting a courteous approach to managing pests, such as politely asking them to relocate, can effectively deter unwanted intruders. Traditional methods like using sound, vibration, or plant signals to ward off pests demonstrate the harmony between nature and human interactions. Stories of dealing with garden pests through unique means, like sending messages via plants or using elder to repel insects, highlight the interconnected relationship between humans, plants, and pests during the summer months.
In July, the ancient woodland cools us down - while we explore the hot-weather roots of some of the month's many names. In the garden Zoe gives us some charms against pests, and we find out what to eat and plant in the veg patch. Our folktale tells of fairies, while The Breath sing 'Only Stories', a song about Ríoghnach's childhood summers spent in West Cork.
This episode also features a short performance from Sam Lee and original music from Avery Bright, excerpts from Ffern's short film 'A Tuscan Summer'. You can watch it at ffern.co/cinema
'As the Season Turns' is a podcast created by Ffern in collaboration with the nature writer and author of the Seasonal Almanac, Lia Leendertz. Lia is joined by novelist Zoe Gilbert and folk musicians Ríoghnach Connolly and Stuart McCallum of The Breath. Geoff Bird produces and Catriona Bolt is Ffern's in-house production coordinator. Each episode, released on the first of the month, is a guide to what to look out for in the month ahead - from the sky above to the land below. Ffern is an organic fragrance maker based in Somerset. You can learn more about Ffern's seasonal eau de parfum at ffern.co
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