This March 14th, the Moon will be located on the opposite side of the Earth as the Sun and its face will be fully illuminated. This phase occurs at 06:56 UTC (12:56 AM Central Time). This full moon was known by early Native American tribes as the Worm Moon.
For many years, we thought this name referred to the earthworms that appear as the soil warms in spring. This invites robins and other birds to feed—a true sign of spring!
However, more research revealed another explanation. In the 1760s, Captain Jonathan Carver visited the Naudowessie (Dakota) and other Native American tribes and wrote that the name Worm Moon refers to a different sort of “worm”—beetle larvae—which begin to emerge from the thawing bark of trees and other winter hideouts at this time.
This moon has also been known as the Crow Moon, the Crust Moon, the Sap Moon, and the Lenten Moon.
There are quite a few names for the March Moon that speak to the transition from winter to spring. Some refer to the appearance (or reappearance) of certain animals, such as the Eagle Moon, Goose Moon (Algonquin, Cree), or Crow Comes Back Moon (Northern Ojibwe).
