IN recent years we seem to have welcomed fewer cuckoos to our shores. Their distinctive calls are not heard so frequently as hitherto, and it seems that those who do arrive in this country are thinly spread over a wide area. I cannot recall hearing a single cuckoo call last year although I did learn from correspondents that the bird had been heard in parts of North Yorkshire. Sightings were fewer – I did not receive reports of any.

With that in mind, next Tuesday, April 14, is the feast of St Tibertius, otherwise known as Cuckoo Day. An old piece of lore says that the cuckoo sings from St Tibertius’ Day to St John’s Day, which is both Midsummer Day and the feast of St John the Baptist, June 24. There are many St Johns, all with different feast days, but the cuckoo has selected the famous Baptist.

In the past, many Yorkshire folk believed the cuckoo arrived on the feast of St Tibertius and that it sang from that date until Midsummer Day. There used to be an old Yorkshire saying: “When first you hear the cuckoo shout, it’s time to plant your taties out.” I’m not sure how seriously that advice is heeded nowadays.

Not surprisingly there is a good deal of weather lore associated with the cuckoo. One old verse reads:

When the cuckoo comes to the bare thorn,

Sell your cow and buy your corn.

But when she comes to the full bit,

Sell your corn and buy your sheep.

I believe the message is this rather obscure verse suggests that a late spring is bad for cattle, while an early one is bad for the corn crops.

In wider terms, the arrival of the cuckoo is thought to herald the beginning of spring along with showers of useful rain, but it also foretells the character of the coming harvest. There are two old verses linked to the arrival of the cuckoo. One tells us:

The cuckoo in April opens his bill,

The cuckoo in May sings the whole day,

The cuckoo in June, he changes his tune,

The cuckoo in July, away he must fly.

Another verse says:

In April the cuckoo sings her lay,

In May she sings both night and day,

In June, she loses her sweet strain,

In July, she flies off again.

It is noted that the last of those two verses features the female cuckoo whereas most of the others are written from the aspect of the male. However, while the male produces the familiar “cuckoo” call, the female’s voice is more of a bubbly chuckling sound. Perhaps that female verse is directed solely towards other females?

In appearance, both are very similar as adults, looking very hawk-like with their grey plumage, pointed wings, barred breasts and long tails. Centuries ago, there was a prevailing belief that cuckoos turned into hawks during the winter months; it is said that Aristotle believed this some 2,000 years ago and the belief prevailed in many countries until fairly recent times.

In parts of England, it was thought the cuckoos dug deep holes in which to spend the winter in this country, and where in fact they were thought to change into hawks. Another theory was that they roosted in hollow trees while in Scotland, it was thought they joined the fairies underground for the winter.

In the various weather lore references, the general theory is that an early arrival of the cuckoo, particularly before the hawthorn has produced its foliage, is regarded as a poor omen for the harvest. If the cuckoo shouts while the hedgerows are still devoid of leaves, the advice was to sell your horse because you would not be able to afford to feed it due to a poor harvest.

Waiting until the hedgerows are in full leave, however, was a good omen – you should keep your horse because you would be able to afford its food and bedding.

In Scotland, however, the cuckoo is not thought to produce its familiar call until May, and there it is known as the gowk.

Although we await the sound of the cuckoo, it is in fact a very unpleasant character because it raids the nests of small species such as the reed warblers, meadow pipits and dunnocks, and removes their eggs. The female then lays a single egg in each of those nests, and when it hatches, it grows rapidly to a size far larger than its foster parents.

It makes heavy demands on them for food and shelter, and then when autumn comes, those new cuckoos manage to find their way overseas to their African family bases. Many of us will not be sad that cuckoo numbers are depleted. This has been happening since around the end of the Second World War when the loss of much of the bird’s habitat plus an increasing use of pesticides have vastly reduced its food supplies.

Despite the villainous reputation of the cuckoo, we continue to welcome it whenever it comes to our shores if only because the sound of its voice heralds sunshine and better weather.

Link to flowers

References to the cuckoo remind me of two wild plants that are associated with the cuckoo.

One is the cuckoo flower, also known as lady’s smock, and the other is the cuckoo pint. And of course, there is also the famous spittle found on some plants including the cuckoo flower; it has become known as cuckoo spit, a totally erroneous name.

The cuckoo flower, a pretty herb with pink or purplish flowers which can grow as tall as 2ft (60cm) is very common and widespread in damp pastures and also along the banks of streams in most parts of the British Isles. Its name derives from its custom of appearing in flower around the time the cuckoo announced his presence.

In parts of Europe, the cuckoo flower was considered a harmful plant. It was thought that anyone who picked it would be bitten an adder or their house would be struck by lightning but in fact it is a useful herb, said to be quite safe when eaten in salads as a substitute for water cress.

Its alternative name of lady’s smock comes from its association with milkmaids and their smocks, although it used to have links with the Virgin Mary. That supposed link comes from its suffix of “smock” which was an item of clothing worn by many women, rather like a loose dress. There used to be a legend that St Helena had found a smock belonging to the Virgin Mary; it was in a cave at Bethlehem.

The cuckoo pint is a distinctive plant with a hood and a club-like spadix, often known as lords and ladies. It produces poisonous red berries and should be avoided by children. And it smells of decay.

Cuckoo spit is a bubbly substance often found on flowers and other plants during the late spring and summer even into autumn but it has nothing to do with cuckoos.

It is produced by a small bug called the common frog hopper, whose larvae produce this spit-like substance in which to hide themselves from predators. The adult bug is only about quarter of an inch long (8cm) but despite its small size is often regarded as a pest so far as plants are concerned.