Spring Equinox
The spring equinox is on Mon, Mar 20, 2023, 4:24 PM. Legend has it you can balance an egg on its end on the spring equinox. This legend is true, although it seems you can balance an egg on its end all year long.
What Is the Spring Equinox?
Here in Tennessee, the spring equinox occurs when the Sun crosses the celestial equator going south to north. The “celestial” equator is an imaginary line in the sky above the Earth’s equator.
After the spring equinox, the Northern Hemisphere is tilted more toward the Sun, with the result of longer days! (It is the fall equinox in the Southern Hemisphere, and they are experiencing shorter days.) The hours of day light increase until the summer solstice, which is the longest day of the year. All over the world, the spring and fall equinox are the only time the sun rises due east and sets due west.
How will you celebrate spring?
• The March full moon is called the worm moon. That is because worms and grubs are reappearing. This means the ground is getting warmer. The reappearance of worms is a sign to farmers that it is time to plant their spring crop. It is a sign to Robins, who have been waiting all winter for a tasty meal, that it is time to eat.
• Watch as the Sun as it travels along its arch in the sky. Birds are migrating northward, along the path of the Sun. Get your binoculars ready because the neo-tropical migrants will be passing through middle Tennessee on the way to their summer breeding areas. Warblers, vireos, tanagers, flycatchers, swallows, hummingbirds, and many other species are there for the viewing if you take the time. Early in the morning, between 6 am and 10 am is typically best because many of these species’ travel at night and are settling down in the mornings to feed and rest.
• As the days get longer the increasing sunlight inspires the birds to sing. Many birds are starting their mating rituals and building nests. Watch around bluebird boxes, the male and female birds are busy. If you sit quietly, you will hear birds singing different calls. Watch closely and you might start to notice birds flying with nesting material.
Toad singing in the pond
• Toads mate each spring at the Nature Center Pond, and it is a highlight of the year for the park naturalist. Toads come down from the hills to gather at the pond for the yearly mating ritual. For a few days in the spring the pond is alive with toad trills and couples mating. Please be respectful of the toads as engage in this yearly ritual.
Trout Lily
• Early spring wildflowers are my favorite part of spring. From early March into April, it seems like a new species appears almost daily. On each outing the hiker is trekking through a riot of white, yellow, pink, and blue flowers.
Monarch in the plum tree
On March 20, take a pause to consider the spring equinox. Take some time to enjoy the sights, sounds and smells of a new season. Please let me know if you have success balancing an egg.
Melissa Donahue
