29Jan 2026 by catbird No Comments
What is the Pink Moon & a Coloring Page

What is the Pink Moon & a Coloring Page

Folklore, Full Moon, Pink Moon, Play, Scavenger Hunt, Spring
Many modern moon name lists suggest that the Pink Moon is named for the emergence of phlox subulata, or moss phlox, which is a native North American wildflower with pink flowers that blooms in April. However, I cannot track down a single actual source beyond the Farmer’s Almanac for this claim. (And the Farmer's Almanac does not expand on where this info came from which is unusual.) I do find that pink is everywhere this time of year—most welcome after a gray winter—so I've decided to roll with it. Moss phlox does, after all, bloom in April along with a host of other pink flowers like cherry blossom and spring beauty. That said, I wouldn't feel at all obligated to stick with this name because the phlox claim is weak at best. The Cherokee…
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29Jan 2026 by catbird No Comments
What is the Worm Moon & a Coloring Page

What is the Worm Moon & a Coloring Page

Folklore, Full Moon, Learning, Play, Worm Moon
Jonathan Carver yet again is credited as the source of the name "Worm Moon", claiming it was a Dakota name. However, every Dakota resource I have found calls this full moon the Sore Eyes Moon, which refers to the glare of the sun off snow. (“Sore Eyes Moon” is how this moon’s name translates from the Lakota and Assiniboine dialects as well.) Allegedly, in the late 1700s, Jonathan Carver wrote that the worms actually refer to larvae that are emerging from winter hideouts around this time. Where I live in the Mid Atlantic, snow is receding in March, and spring is just starting to peek through. I often think of March as the muddy month. Worms make their first trip to the surface as the ground unfreezes and leave their little…
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29Jan 2026 by catbird No Comments
What is the Snow Moon & a Coloring Page

What is the Snow Moon & a Coloring Page

Craft Project, Folklore, Free Printable, Full Moon, Learning, Snow Moon, Winter
February is the snowiest month where I live, and according to the National Weather Service it’s the snowiest month nationwide. According to the Farmer’s Almanac’s list, this month’s full moon is called the Snow Moon based on the report of Captain Jonathan Carver, a colonial expedition leader who claimed the Lakota people called it that. The translation of the Lakota name that I have found is substantially more poetic: When Trees Crack Because of Cold Moon. Similarly, the Abenaki people observe the Makes Branches Fall in Pieces Moon. The Arapaho call this the Frost Sparkling in the Sun Moon, and the Comanche call it the Sleet Moon. I have continued to call it the snow moon because it's concise and easier to fit on graphics, but in my head I think…
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