by Sid Baglini
Sunday, March 24, 2024, 7:15 P.M.
It’s been a big week for spring. Cushioned between the spring equinox on March 19th and what Christians call Holy Week ending with Easter, our walk under the Full Worm Moon will be another opportunity to celebrate its arrival. With the recent rains, you may have noticed earthworms stranded on paved surfaces, a sure sign that the earth is warming and those subterranean creatures are surfacing, much to the delight of the many pecking robins in our yards. But those aren’t the “worms” the indigenous people who named this Moon were referencing. In the 1760’s, Captain Jonathan Carver was in contact with the Dakota Tribe. He documented that the worms they referred to in the naming of the Moon were the larvae of beetles that emerged from beneath the bark of trees and leaf litter. If that strikes you as odd when earthworms are so much in evidence, here’s a bit of trivia to chew on. Virtually all earthworms in North America are from Europe and are considered invasive due to how widespread they have become. In the 18th century, Native Americans would have had no exposure to our commonplace eartnworms.
Of course, there are other traditional names for this Moon. Birds are a dominant feature in the Crow Comes Back Moon, the Eagle Moon and The Goose Moon, and we’ll include some facts about bird migration on our walk. In fact, if you have binoculars and it’s a clear night, bring them with you. We might catch sight of flocks crossing in front of the Full Moon as they head north. In areas with late season snow cover, this is the Sore Eyes Moon due to reflected sunlight from the snowpack. Our recent March weather patterns give proof to the name Wind Strong Moon. And then there’s my favorite foodie name, The Sugar Moon, which we will talk about on our walk. Finally, since this will be the first Full Moon after the Equinox, Christians know it as the Paschal Full Moon which determines the date of Easter each year.
While March is the slowest month for meteors in the Northern Hemisphere, we have the total solar eclipse on the horizon (April 8th), so we will turn our attention to the excitement surrounding that rare, mesmerizing celestial event. There’s quite a media buildup as the date approaches and we’ll have some interesting “factoids” to share on the subject.
Please join us for our first Full Moon Walk of the spring. The company is stimulating, the walk is easy going, and the moonlight is enchanting, but even under the clouds, we make it happen and have fun. We meet behind Borough Hall and there is plenty of parking on Channing and 1st Avenues.