Spring is derived from an ancient Anglo-Saxon word for "rising." As March begins, the days become longer and the sun rises higher in the sky each day. Eventually, the length of daylight and darkness are equal, on March 20st, when the spring equinox arrives.

The first true harbingers of spring in Wisconsin make their appearance during the windy and often snowy month of March. Sandhill cranes are often the first to return to the still-frozen river bottomlands;, followed by the familiar backyard favorite, the American robin. By the time the pussy willows have budded out, noisy redwing blackbird males are already staking claim to their nesting territories in cattail marshes.

Although March often roars in like a lion with heavy snowstorms and sub-zero temperatures, it often goes out like a lamb with much milder weather. The warm days followed by freezing nights of late March create ideal conditions for the sugaring season. Sugar maples are ready to be tapped for their sweet sap, which is boiled down to make delicious maple syrup. It's not surprising then that the full moon of March is called the "sap" or "sugar" moon.