Nature Almanac for March 2021Donna L. Long

Bumble Bee and Grape Hyacinth in my garden.

Here in Philadelphia…

The snow is still on the ground. It’s melting quickly. The birds are singing. It has been a long, shelter-in-place kind of winter. And I am oh so ready to work in my garden and walk the trails of nearby parks.

But if last fall was any sign of how crowded the parks will become, I will work on my backyard habitat garden this spring. I started replanting pollinator plants last year.

I’ll be starting borage seeds this weekend. Borage is a herb that bees go crazy for. I bought a packet of borage seeds from Botanical Interest this winter. I think two or three plants in my small backyard garden will draw in the pollinators, the bees and flies which will pollinate my fruits and tomato plants. You can buy borage seeds here.

My plans include growing more food in my backyard. I haven’t spoken about it but last year I had surprise carpal tunnel syndrome hand surgery. My hand is still recovering. I stopped writing a book I was working. I’ll return to writing it this summer. But I have made headway on another title.

I am making progress on my book on butterfly gardening. I am aiming for an April release. Stay tuned.

Making a Bloom Calendar

Henry David Thoreau kept a nature journal. He was famous in his town for knowing the sequence of blooming of native flowers. This type of calendar is a ‘bloom calender’. Every Wednesday in March, I’ll post a list of what is blooming in my backyard habitat garden. It will keep me aware of the unfolding of spring close to home.

Did You Know?

The blossoms of many early spring flowers are white or yellow? The primary pollinators of early flowers are flies who lack color vision. The white and yellow blossoms reflect plenty of light to attract the flies. Read my post on the topic.

Winter and Early Spring’s Key Happenings

Spring Equinox – March 20, 20121 at 5:37 a.m. EDT

Spring lasts 93 days until the Summer Solstice on June 20^th, 2021.

The Moon This Month:

March 5^th – Last Snow Moon, Last Quarter rises around midnight
March 13^th – New Sugar Moon, New moon always rises near sunrise
March 21^st – First Quarter Sugar Moon, First Quarter rises near noon
March 28^th – Full Sugar Moon, Full Moon always rises near sunset

Algonquin Indian Moon Names

Sugar or Sap is rising and weeping in the trees, especially Maples and Birches for syrup. Winter full Moons are high in the night sky.

“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 2021, p. 102.

Moonrise occurs about 50 minutes later each day

Midnight Sun At the South Pole – the Sun never sets from September 23^{rd to}March 20^th,

Best Fishing – When the Moon is between New and Full – March 13-28

Stars in the Winter and Early Spring Sky

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

Winter Constellations

in the Northern Hemisphere – Northern Evening Sky: Pegasus, Lacerta, Andromeda, Pisces, Triangulum, Aries, Perseus, Auriga, Gemini, and Cancer.

In the Northern Hemisphere – Southern Evening Sky: Cetus, Taurus, Orion, Eridanus, Lepus, Canis Major, Canis Minor, Gemini, Hydra, and Monocerces.

Spring Star Constellations in the Northern Hemisphere – Northern Sky – Leo, Bootes, Virgo, Corvus, Crater, and Cancer

In the Southern Hemisphere Sky look for the stars Alpha Centauri and Beta Centauri the southern pointers that point directly to the Crux (Southern Cross) constellation. March through September is the best time to see these stars.