Friday, April 5, 2013

The Full Worm Moon, the Return of the Robins and Spring!

Every month, I look forward to seeing the full moon.  I love how each full moon has its own special name and significance.  The early Native Americans are the ones who gave the moons their unique names.

Below is a list of the full moon names, according to the Farmers' Almanac.  You can learn more about them on the Farmers' Almanac website.

January Wolf Moon
February Snow Moon
March Worm Moon
April Pink Moon
May Flower Moon
June Strawberry Moon
July Buck Moon or Thunder Moon
August Sturgeon Moon or Red Moon
September Corn Moon or Harvest Moon
October Hunters Moon
November Beaver Moon
December Long Night's Moon or Cold Moon

The last full moon occurred on March 27, 2013.  I was lucky enough to see it that day; in the early morning hours, when it was still dark out. It was so bright and beautiful.  I remember calling Nuno to come see it outside our living room window before he went off to work.  Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of it that morning and later in the evening, when I went looking for it again, it was hidden behind the clouds.

I don't always see the full moon, of course. It all depends on how clear the sky is that day.

But, I do have a photo of last January's wolf moon...
I remember it being very cold and it was snowing that evening.


And this is a photo of last December's Long Nights Moon
I took this photo at Niagara-on-the-Lake, on the eve of my birthday! 


As I mentioned before, I don't have a picture of last month's full worm moon to show you, but I can tell you how the name came about, according to the old Native Americans.  In March, the temperature warms up and the snow begins to melt. In turn, the ground softens up and the worms start to appear.  And you know what that means, right?  The robins come back to pronounce it's spring!  

 On Wednesday, my first spring robin appeared! I found him in our crabapple tree! 

He came to announce the arrival of spring.  It's not official until the robins return.  And they're here!

I found another one hopping around in our yard this morning...



This sweet pair of house finches were out there this morning, too.



And look who's back!  It's Chippy!
I'm not sure if it's the same one from last summer.  Do you remember him?  We had him eating peanuts from our hand, which reminds me, I have to go out and buy some more peanuts!

As you can see, the full worm moon was fittingly named.  It has brought forth the return of the worms and robins!  Spring is definitely in the air, although, we still have some stubborn, crusty snow on the ground.  It is quite cold and the wind is still raging and frigid.  But I dream of warmer days, the blossoming of our trees and flowers, and the delicious scent of blooming lilacs.  

Wishing you all sunshine, robins, and a happy spring!   

13 comments:

  1. Yeahhhhhh. I'm the first one today :)
    Rosinda,
    What a beautiful, moon, birds, trees, but my favorite is chippy. I hope he stays until May so I can watch him close!
    Thank you for sharing all you happiness.
    Wishing you, Nuno, Anita and Annabel a lot of Sunshine, a lot of birds and a Happy Spring!!! Love you all so much :) XOXOXO

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    1. I know how much you love Chippy. I went out and bought peanuts for him/her yesterday. I think he's taking shelter under our deck. Crossing my fingers he stays with us for a while so you can see him the next time you visit. xoxo

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  2. Such a sweet Spring post today! Love all your pictures! The full moon above the clocktower in Niagara-on-the-Lake is beautiful! I look forward to the full moon, too, and am always sad when it's cloudy. While I know it's there somewhere I always feel like a month is wasted somehow! Did you see the little sliver moon this morning? That's my other fav! We didn't see it until very, very early this morning...where does the moon "go" these days! It seems harder to find at "decent" hours! I think Chippy must be the same one...he came back and remembered that you fed him. Soon there will be baby chippies! Ours is back, too, looking for his peanuts. He comes right up to my patio door! Love the Spring and what it brings. Love YOU for posting such sweet reminders to brighten our day! xoxo....Karen P.

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    1. Thank you for your sweet comments, Karen! I didn't see the sliver moon, but you're right, it's so pretty to look at! We have something else in common...we both have a Chippy residing near our home. Lucky us! Happy spring, dear friend! xoxo

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    2. And our Chippy lives under our deck, too, and in winter burrows into the side of our hill. I'm sure he's nice and warm and cozy there all wonter!

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  3. So you're a moon watcher, too!!!! Full moons are pretty magnificent. I love the light of the moon on the Earth and how it turns things completely different in the garden. Did you know that there are special plants to buy (color-wise) that are more spectacular in the moonlight?

    Today, it is overcast and we may get something wet in our forecast for the weekend. I surely hope so. I am re-filling the bird bath daily because they come to splash and drink and the water is quickly gone, and there are fewer and fewer places for them to drink.

    What a lovely post.......as always!

    Love,

    Joann in CO

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    1. Thank you, Joann! I did read about those special plants in a Farmers' Almanac, once. I am glad you have lots of birdies visiting you! It is still too chilly out for our bird bath. I cleaned and filled ours up last weekend when the temps were milder, but it only lasted the day. Overnight, the water froze and hasn't really thawed out since. Wishing you a wet and happy weekend...I know how much CO needs it! Love and hugs, xoxo

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  4. Wow I can't believe you remember a full moon from a year ago. What a good memory! I was excited to see Chippy--do you think he could have spent the winter in your yard, hibernating or something? I guess Anita should sit down and see if he jumps into her lap. Very pretty birdies. I'm sure Boo will enjoy seeing them when he's back at the computer. ♥

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    1. Hi Nancy! The full moon pics I shared were from this past December(2012) and January(2013), so only as far back as four months. I guess it's possible that Chippy could have been hibernating under our deck. We actually had two chipmunks by the end of last summer. When they both went missing, we thought that a neighbor's cat had snapped them up. He would come to our yard daily and wait by the deck in his hunting stance, tail zipping from side-to-side. Now I wonder if we may have been wrong. Hopefully, this Chippy plans to stick around.

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  5. Lovely post, sweetheart...how I would love to see a real chipmunk in the wild!! Of course we don't have them here...Alice would love one too, to 'play' with!! Moon & bird pictures are gorgeous too...so differ from our robins. I'm still trying to get a good photo of Frank!! Much love xoxo

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    1. Thank you, Rachel! I'm sure Alice would have a ball "playing" with one of our chipmunks. lol Wish we could trade...I'd send you a chipmunk and you could send me an English robin! Wouldn't that be fun?! I look forward to seeing a pic of Frank soon. Have a wonderful weekend! xoxo

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  6. Rosinda,

    Happy Spring Season to you also!!!!

    Love your post and your little "pets". We have a Chippy Hacky, named after Beatrix Potter's Chipmunk. They are so cute, but can do so much damage to patios and porches. We actually had to have a new concrete front porch poured and installed because Chippy Hacky had tunneled under and over the years it cracked and became dangerous. The company that replaced the porch filled underneath with 18" of small rock so that Chippy Hacky cannot tunnel under the new porch anymore.

    We don't know where he lives now, but we still see him running around the yard.

    Have a lovely day!!!

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    1. Thank you! Oh, I love Beatrix Potter! Sorry to hear about your porch troubles. I wonder if our chipmunk will cause the same damage? I will have to risk it...Chippy is just too cute to turn away! I'm glad your chippy still comes to visit. Maybe he's living at a neighbor's house now. :) I am wondering if you could leave a name next time. I never know if you're the same person or someone new. Thanks for stopping in! I appreciate your comments!

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