by Sid Baglini
8:30 PM
FRIDAY, MARCH 18, 2022
Join us for our last Moon Walk of the winter. Known as The Worm Moon, a rather unglamorous name, the natural phenomenon it describes is a welcome harbinger of spring. The longer days and moderating temperatures bring the worms to the surface where they are loosening the frost hardened soil. The robins busily mining your lawn are proof that the worms are close at hand. Other larvae that have overwintered are also surfacing and will feed the hungry migrant flocks as they pass through on their way north.
Other names assigned by Native Americans include The Eagle Moon, The Goose Moon, and my personal favorite, The Crow Comes Back 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 before the spring equinox, it is known by Christians as the Lenten Moon.
According to The Farmer’s Almanac, the best dates for planting your above-ground, cool weather crops (think peas, spinach, lettuce) are the 2nd and 3rd of March but save your below-ground crops like carrots for the 20th to 22nd, right around the spring equinox. What does this have to do with the Moon, you ask? Traditional lore links optimum crop or garden outcomes with the phases of the Moon. Just as the gravitational pull of the Moon affects the tides, it is thought that it can pull subsurface water upwards, making the soil in which you plant more amenable to germinating seeds. The dates provided by the Farmer’s Almanac reflect the Moon phase planting lore which theorized that as the Moon grows bigger (waxing Moon), you plant your above ground crops but save your root crops for the waning moon. If this intrigues you, there are many books and articles available by searching Moon phase, biodynamic, or permaculture gardening.
If you are a fan of the planets and an early riser, keep your eye out at the end of the month for a trifecta of Venus, Mars and Saturn gracing the low southeastern sky about an hour before dawn. This show begins on March 24th and runs through April 5th, but March 27th and 28th have the added attraction of a crescent Moon. That could certainly make it worth being “an early bird”! You may also want to keep watch the second half of April (the 14th to 30th) for the Lyrid Meteor Shower which will peak on the 22nd and 23rd with up to 20 meteors per hour.
Please plan to join us for this Worm Moon Walk. We will meet at Malvern Arts by the parking lot at the corner of Channing and First Avenues.