Feb. 27-March 4, 2012
All about me the snow thawed – the tracks of rabbits fell together and faded; the tunnels of mice were exposed; bird prints vanished. The air was sweet with the fragrance of thawing snow and rang with the songs and cries of chickadees, juncos, tree sparrows, blue jays, the conversation of quail, the fresh vibrant cawing of crows on wing. -August Derleth
Lunar phase and lore Leaving its first phase on Feb. 29 at 8:22 p.m., the Red-Winged Blackbird Moon waxes through its second quarter during the entire first week of March. Rising in the afternoon and setting before dawn, this waxing moon lies above your garden after dark. As it grows, the moon will favor the seeding of all flowers and of vegetables that will produce their fruit above the ground, especially when it passes through fertile Cancer on March 2-4. This is an ideal lunar time to plant tomato and pepper seeds in flats, as well as to place your hardiest cabbage and collard sets directly into the soil. Although St. Patrick’s Day is two weeks away, it wouldn’t hurt to plant several rows of peas if the ground is right.
When the cold fronts of March 3 and 7 approach, fishing should improve (but dieting may become more difficult) as the barometer falls in advance of these high-pressure systems.
In the far west, Venus is the evening star this month, moving retrograde once again, and entering the sign of Aries. Jupiter, which has followed Aries since the beginning of the year, is close to Venus (astronomers say it is “in conjunction with” Venus) on March 15. Mars continues in Leo throughout the month, coming up after sunset, moving overhead near midnight and setting well before dawn. Jupiter still lies in Aries this month, much lower on the western horizon after dark than it was earlier in the year. Saturn in Virgo rises in the east after sunset, visible as it crosses all the way to the western horizon by sunup.
Weather patterns
Although the first cold front of the month arrives on or about March 3, bringing a 65 percent chance for highs in the 30s or below, the first quarter of the month also brings a steady 5-10 percent chance for an afternoon in the 70s for the first time since early November. In fact, 60s and 70s occur more often on March 2-3 than on any days in the first three weeks of March. Mild 50s occur about 30 percent of the years, similar to what happened during February’s third week. This time, however, the percentage never drops below that level until November. The skies continue to brighten, with March 3 bringing a 70 percent chance for sun, and March 7, an 80 percent chance.
The wettest day of the week is usually March 4; it has a 60 percent chance for showers or flurries. March 5-6 aren’t far behind, with 50 percent chance for precipitation those days as the month’s cruel second cold front moves across the Mississippi.
Zeitgebers for this week include woodcocks arriving from the South, cardinals singing near 6:30 a.m., wild violet leaves beginning to grow when the snow melts, carp mating in the warmer shallows and woodchucks coming out of hibernation.
Daybook Feb. 27: Great flocks of blackbirds and grackles move across the nation as February comes to an end. They tell you that sweet corn has been planted along the Gulf coast.
Feb. 28: As February closes, cows, heifers and bulls are wormed before they are turned out to pasture. Mares show signs of estrus as the days grow longer. The last of the lambs and kids conceived in middle autumn are born. Chipmunks come out to play and mate. Rabbits are breeding; foxes will be hunting them.
Feb. 29: In Georgia, bee season has begun. Honeybees and carpenter bees collect pollen from dandelions, yellow-flowered wild radishes, red maples, henbit, blue toadflax, white clover and mouse-eared chickweed. In the lower Midwest, pussy willow season intensifies as more catkins emerge.
March 1: As water temperatures rise to the upper 30s in March and early April, the walleye run begins in Lake Erie. That season reaches its climax in northern Ohio on the Sandusky and Maumee rivers, when the water reaches 44 degrees, then activity declines slowly through early May.
March 2: Maple syrup season continues throughout the period, and snowdrop season, aconite season and snow crocus season always accompany the movement of the tree sap. Daffodil budding season advances as the sap recedes.
Nest scouting season has opened for ducks and geese, and migration season is underway for killdeer, woodcocks and canvasback ducks. Junco season ends at the bird feeder as foliage-growing season expands, with leaves of the wild violet joining purple deadnettle and henbit by the end of March’s first week. March 3: Only 11 weeks remain before the most delicate flowers and vegetables can be planted outside, and four weeks until most hardy plants can be set out. Complete the spraying of fruit trees. Spray with dormant oil when the temperature is expected to stay above 40 for 24 hours. Do late pruning on colder afternoons. Spread fertilizer after testing the soil.
March 4: As soil conditions permit, test the pastures for nutrients. There is still time to add fertilizer to maximize your grazing and hay production. If you till and replant your pasture, the incidence of worm larvae ordinarily declines significantly.
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