Here in Philadelphia…

We have had many warm days. Throughout February I have seen insects flying. In mid-February, I disturbed several Milkweed bugs who were wide-awake and scurrying around.

Spring came quickly. Maybe because we didn’t much of a cold winter. And as of today we have had maybe an inch of snow all winter in Philly. Here is the march 2020 nature almanac and nature happenings.

The snowdrops are in full bloom in my garden at the end of February and the beginning of March. The snowdrops were planted by a previous neighbor over thirty years ago. She is long gone but the snowdrops live on. I can’t get rid of them.

Here comes March! Get ready for the cold March winds.

March 2020 Nature Almanac: Season Dates

The Vernal Equinox is March 19, 2020 at 11:50 p.m. EDT

There are 93 days from the winter solstice to the spring equinox.

In the Sky this March

• 2^nd  – First Quarter Moon
• 9^th – Full Moon (it is called the Full Sap Moon or Full Sugar Moon referring to the rising sap in the trees and that tapping of Sugar Maples for Maple Syrup)
• 16^th – Last Quarter Moon
• 24^th –  New Moon (New Pink Moon – the pink ground phlox flower appears)
• Midnight Sun At the North Pole – the Sun never sets from March 20th to September 23^rd.

Remember the Moon…

• New moon always rises near sunrise
• First Quarter near noon
• Full Moon always rises near sunset
• Winter Full Moons are high in the sky
• Last Quarter rises around midnight
• Moonrise occurs about 50 minutes later each day

Best Fishing – When the Moon is between New and Full

• February 23^rd – March 9^th
• March 24^th – April 7^th

“The Moon’s path across the sky changes with the seasons. Full Moons are very High in the sky (at midnight) between November and February (winter) and very low in the sky between May and July” – The Old Farmer’s Almanac 2020, p. 102

Circumpolar Constellations – from latitude 40 degree north – these constellations are always in the sky: Ursa Major, Ursa Minor, Cassiopeia, Draco, Cepheus, and Camelopaedalis.

 

Birding This March

• Waterfowl begin moving north
• Early nesting species begin breeding (owls and others)
• Whooping Cranes begin to migrate north
• Wood duck mating displays begin
• Look for birding excursions sponsored by Audubon and other birding clubs.
• Spring Bird Migration for Birding Beginners
• Hummingbird Migration Dates
• Put your feeders out to entice hungry migrants to stopover in your backyard.

Attracting birds to your backyard

 

Animals Activity This March

• Beavers emerge from lodges and dams
• Queen Bumble bees emerge from hibernation on warm days
• Brown bears leaving dens
• Chipmunks emerge from hibernation

Plant Activity This March

• Plants are breaking their winter dormancy.
• Woody tree and shrubs budding are ready to burst into bloom

Native Plants in Bloom

Spicebush in bloom. Spicebush is a good native substitute for forsythia in the garden.  s

Spring Blooming Native Plants to Attract Bumble Bees

• Skunk Cabbage
• American Hazelnut
• Red Maple
• Snow Trillium
• Slippery Elm
• Round-Lobed Lopetica

 

Nature Journaling This Season

Nature in Spring

Nature in Spring: Table of Contents

Spring Nature Journaling and Prompts

 

Citizen Science Events to Participate In

Journey North

Project Budburst.org  (year around) – Cherry Blossom Blitz

Until the next almanac

That’s it for this issue. I hope you found it useful. It you have any comments let me know below.

Look for the next almanac at the beginning in April.