The Full Worm Moon (or Full Crow Moon) will light up the skies today. It was also called the Sap Moon, as it's when the maple trees could be tapped to make syrup again after a long winter of frozen sap.
Celtic people called the March full moon the "moon of winds." And, according to "A Dictionary of the Choctaw Language" (published in 1915), the Choctaw people called it the "big famine" – perhaps because it was the season when winter food stores would start to run low.
Because February only had 28 days, this year's full moon carried over to March, confirming the March 31 full moon would be a "blue" one.
Here's what you need to know about March's upcoming full moons – the "worm moon" and the "blue moon" – which occur on March 1 and March 31, respectively.
The March 1 moon was dubbed the "worm moon" by the Old Farmer's Almanac in the 1930s because it's a sign spring is finally arriving.
It was named "worm moon" after "earthworm casts that appear as the ground thaws," NASA wrote in a post online.
Southerners are more likely to use the term because of they have an abundance of earthworms, unlike the northern part of the U.S.
"When glaciers covered the northern part of North America they wiped out the native earthworms," NASA explained. "These glaciers melted about 12,000 years ago and the forests grew back without earthworms."
While "worm moon" is the moon's most popular nickname, there are several other names for the last full moon of winter, including: the sugar moon, crow moon, crust moon and the corn moon.
Names Given to the Moon by Different Native American Tribes: Rain (Diegueno). Bud Moon (Kiowa). Eagle Moon,Rain Moon (Cree). Green Moon (Pima). Deer Moon (Natchez). Moon of Winds (Celtic). Lizard Moon (San Juan). Death Moon (Neo-Pagan). Wind Strong Moon (Taos). Amaolikkervik Moon(Inuit). Little Frog Moon (Omaha). Little Spring Moon (Creek). Crane Moon (Potawatomi). Long Days moon (Wishram). Big Famine Moon (Choctaw). Moose Hunter Moon (Abenali). Whispering Wind Moon (Hopi). Little Spring Moon (Muscokee). Fish Moon (Colonial American). Snow Sore Eyes Moon(Dakota). Catching Fish Moon (Agonquin). Snow Crust Moon (Anishnaabe). Spring Moon (Passamaquoddy). Much Lateness Moon (Mohawk). Chaste Moon (Medieval English). Buffalo Calf moon (Arapaho, Sioux). Seed (Dark Janic), Plow Moon (Full Janic). Strawberry, Windy Moon, Lenten Moon (Cherokee). Worm Moon, Sugar Moon, Crow Moon, Crust Moon, Sap Moon. (Algonquin).
Celtic people called the March full moon the "moon of winds." And, according to "A Dictionary of the Choctaw Language" (published in 1915), the Choctaw people called it the "big famine" – perhaps because it was the season when winter food stores would start to run low.
Because February only had 28 days, this year's full moon carried over to March, confirming the March 31 full moon would be a "blue" one.
Here's what you need to know about March's upcoming full moons – the "worm moon" and the "blue moon" – which occur on March 1 and March 31, respectively.
The March 1 moon was dubbed the "worm moon" by the Old Farmer's Almanac in the 1930s because it's a sign spring is finally arriving.
It was named "worm moon" after "earthworm casts that appear as the ground thaws," NASA wrote in a post online.
The cawing of crows signaled the end of winter
Southerners are more likely to use the term because of they have an abundance of earthworms, unlike the northern part of the U.S.
"When glaciers covered the northern part of North America they wiped out the native earthworms," NASA explained. "These glaciers melted about 12,000 years ago and the forests grew back without earthworms."
While "worm moon" is the moon's most popular nickname, there are several other names for the last full moon of winter, including: the sugar moon, crow moon, crust moon and the corn moon.
Names Given to the Moon by Different Native American Tribes: Rain (Diegueno). Bud Moon (Kiowa). Eagle Moon,Rain Moon (Cree). Green Moon (Pima). Deer Moon (Natchez). Moon of Winds (Celtic). Lizard Moon (San Juan). Death Moon (Neo-Pagan). Wind Strong Moon (Taos). Amaolikkervik Moon(Inuit). Little Frog Moon (Omaha). Little Spring Moon (Creek). Crane Moon (Potawatomi). Long Days moon (Wishram). Big Famine Moon (Choctaw). Moose Hunter Moon (Abenali). Whispering Wind Moon (Hopi). Little Spring Moon (Muscokee). Fish Moon (Colonial American). Snow Sore Eyes Moon(Dakota). Catching Fish Moon (Agonquin). Snow Crust Moon (Anishnaabe). Spring Moon (Passamaquoddy). Much Lateness Moon (Mohawk). Chaste Moon (Medieval English). Buffalo Calf moon (Arapaho, Sioux). Seed (Dark Janic), Plow Moon (Full Janic). Strawberry, Windy Moon, Lenten Moon (Cherokee). Worm Moon, Sugar Moon, Crow Moon, Crust Moon, Sap Moon. (Algonquin).
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