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Fri, March 2, 2012, 8:06 a.m.

Boulder Weather

Avg. High: 51° F
Avg. Low: 27° F

Max. High: 83° F (1910)
Min. Low: -13° F (1932)

Avg. Precip: 1.68"
Max. Precip: 5.44" (2003)

Avg.Snow: 17.4"
Max. Snow: 56.7" (1970)

Max wind: 106 mph (1991)

March Wildflowers

 Click for larger images.

Early Easter Daisy
Townsendia hookeri  

Spring Beauty
Claytonia rosea

Pasqueflower
Pulsatilla patens

Mountain Bluebirds return to Boulder County in March. In April, they are conspicuous as they select among the nest boxes at Walker Ranch.

If Emily Dickinson had lived in Colorado, the mountain bluebird might have been the species that inspired her line, "Hope is the thing with feathers." It's the northward migration of bluebirds, not the appearance of robins (year-round Colorado residents) that signals spring in Boulder County.

A few mountain and western bluebirds may overwinter in Boulder County, but the first good-sized flocks usually arrive here in late February or early March. These cavity-nesters use old woodpecker holes in aspens and ponderosa pines, and readily take to birdhouses if the entrance hole is 1 9/16" in diameter.

Western bluebirds were listed as "rare and declining" in Boulder County as recently as 1990. Retention of standing dead trees and erection of artificial nest boxes has contributed to their recovery. A bluebird trail at Walker Ranch Open Space fledged 80 mountain and 41 western bluebirds in 2006. The trail, consisting of 48 nest boxes, is maintained by Boulder County Audubon.

Other March Events

• Bald Eagles (cottonwoods on plains) and Golden Eagles (cliffs and foothills) refurbish nests and lay their eggs.
• Chorus Frogs chirrup in prairie wetlands.
• Snowshoe Hares and Long-tailed Weasels begin their pre-vernal molt.
• Rainbow trout spawn.
• A half-million migrating Sandhill Cranes gather along the Platte River in central Nebraska.

March 2011 Events

March 13: Daylight savings time begins

March 15: Planets Mercury and Jupiter are less than 2 degrees apart at evening twilight. You need good low-angle viewing to the west to see Mercury. Jupiter may help you spot it.

March 19: Full moon rises at 7:38 p.m. (DST)

• Sore Eyes (Lakota)
• Buffaloes Dropping Their Calves (Arapaho)
• Water Stands in Ponds (Ponca)

This full moon was known by early Native American tribes as the Full Worm Moon because this was the time of year when the ground would begin to soften and the earthworms would reappear. This moon has also been known as the Full Crow Moon, the Full Crust Moon, and the Full Sap Moon. This will also be the largest full moon of the year because it will be near perigee, its closest point to the Earth. (Reference)

March 20, 5:21 p.m.: Vernal Equinox. This is a time for blessing the fields and animals. Eggs are painted and used in rituals. Flowers are worn and placed on altars. The Greek festival of Aphrodite was held around April 1. Eoaster is the Saxon fertility goddess.

Photo credits: Bluebird: George Oetzel
Flowers: Steve Jones

Read Ruth Carol Cushman and Stephen Jones's Nature Almanac column in the Daily Camera "Get Out" section the first Friday of each month. Some of the above text is from the March, 2006 column and reproduced with permission from the Daily Camera.

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