The Worm Moon — Finally the increasingly-higher angle of the Sun’s rays will start to have an effect. Snow doesn’t last as long and ice melts faster now. The very first little green shoots of Ajuga and Wild Chives will find sunlight coming through a hole in the snow. I can identify!
The Worm Moon comes from the time when the first worms will find their way to the surface on a mild, very early spring day, making any Robins nearby happy. This name must have originally come from Southern tribes because the glaciers had thoroughly scoured any native worms out of the northern half of North America. Worms found here now were brought from Europe or Asia.
Other names for this moon include the Spring Moon of my Passamaquoddy friends in Maine. Moon of Crusty Snow is found in several midwestern states and Maple-sugaring Moon, or just plain, Sap Moon is common, for obvious reasons. Further afield, the Arapaho called March the Moon When Buffalo Drop Their Calves and for the Haida it was Noisy Goose Moon. It is the time of the Spring Equinox (Tuesday, March 19, 11:06 p.m.) and the beginning of a new Season of Life.
Even though winter is still upon us, occasionally pummeling the southeast Catskills with icy nor’easters, or fierce arctic winds blowing lake-effect snow past our mountain shield, there are unquestionable signs of Spring. The Sun is our biggest clue. There are more hours of daylight and increasingly so b y the day. Not only that, but the angle of the sun’s rays is higher now, allowing their effects to be more fulsome.
This increase in sunlight is the trigger for many plants and animals to start the spring seasonal cycle. Having said that, I must point out the hard (cold?) fact that these effects are very, very gradual, making this season possibly the most frustrating of all. That’s why I divide “Spring” into Winterspring (early spring) and Summerspring (late spring).
Summerspring is what everyone loves, when nature comes alive with greenness. March seems to take forever, getting us to that point.
On top of all that, climate-change is real and is contributing greatly already to drastic changes that we (and the earth) are experiencing. That being said, and even taking into account what an (obviously) crazy month March can be, spring is still “just around the corner” (exactly which corner, I’m not sure).
Remember the freeze/thaw cycle and watch for ice on the trails (too soon to put away tractiondevices). With drastic temperature swings, late winter/early spring can be a challenging time and dressing in layers is recommended. Also, this is when the trails start getting muddy during the day, so please wear the right — waterproof — footwear and stay on the trail; don’t go around puddles (which expands trails and can destroy delicate plants about to come up), go through them.
I thank you and the small plants thank you, as does the trail keeper. Have a great, safe early spring everyone.
To reach “Ranger” Dave Holden, call 845-594-4863 or email woodstocktrails@gmail.com; also see Woodstock Trails on Facebook; rangerdaveholden on Instagram or www.woodstocknytrails.com.
Join the family! 
