WALK WHEN THE MOON IS FULL
by Sid Baglini
SATURDAY, MARCH 27th 8:00 PM
Join us for our first Spring Moon walk. This one has the most unromantic of the various names assigned to full moons—The Worm Moon. With the recent thaw, the worms are busy loosening the winter-hardened soil and inadvertently providing much needed sustenance for the avian population. Other worm-like beetle larvae are also making an appearance, described as “little protein packs” for the hungry birds.
If you prefer, you can use the alternative names assigned by Native Americans which include: The Eagle Moon, The Goose Moon, and my personal favorite, The Crow Comes Back Moon. While our predecessors recognized the returning wildlife in naming the full Moon, they also gave names relating to the physical events they observed such as The Sugar Moon (get those taps in the trees!), The Wind Strong Moon, and The Sore Eyes Moon. The latter was coined by tribes of the northern plains who experienced the intense reflection of the Sun’s rays off the lingering snowpack.
Because this full Moon falls after the Spring equinox, it is known by Christians as the Paschal Moon. Each year, the date for Easter is the first Sunday after the first full Moon after the equinox. March 21st was the equinox; March 28th is the full Moon; and April 4th will be Easter. When we celebrate Easter in March, it is because the full Moon occurs very close to the equinox.
March 30th will be the lunar perigee, when the Moon in its orbit comes closest to Earth, which makes it the 4th closest, brightest, and biggest of the 12 full Moons this year. Experts disagree on whether it should be termed a Supermoon, some saying that the March, April, May and June full moons will all be Supermoons while others maintain that only April and May fit the bill. Come walk with us at 8:00 pm this Saturday, and you can draw your own conclusions about how “Super” this Moon is.
NOTE: The full Moon officially occurs at 2:38 P.M. on the 28th this month, but due to a prediction of rain and wind on Sunday afternoon and 79% cloud cover that evening, we will walk on Saturday night.