August Moon
Posted: 08/24/2010 Filed under: Nature, Thoughts | Tags: August full moon, August Moon, Cherokee, Colonial Americans, Dog Days Moon, Fruit Moon, full moon names, Great Lakes, moon cycle, moon names, Native Americans, seasons, sturgeon, Sturgeon Moon, tribes Leave a comment »Tonight holds the full moon of August. To Native American tribes of the Great Lakes region, August’s moon was known as the Sturgeon Moon, as this time of year was prime season for catching sturgeon, a large fish species (up to 6 ft!) once common in the Great Lakes, but sadly now quite rare due to overfishing in the late 1800s.
To Colonial Americans, the moon of August was the Dog Days Moon; to the Cherokee, the Fruit Moon. Both apt names, for certain!
If your skies are clear, be sure to step outside and enjoy the view this evening!
The Ripe Corn Moon
Posted: 07/26/2010 Filed under: Nature | Tags: 2010, Algonquin, Buck Moon, Cherokee, Colonial America, full moon, Hay Moon, july, Mead Moon, Ripe Corn Moon 4 Comments »Tonight is July’s full moon, which is known by many names in the Northern Hemisphere. Algonquin tribes called it the Buck Moon, in honor of the fact that antlers begin to appear on the foreheads of buck deer this month. (We’ve seen evidence this in our own backyard!) To the Cherokee, July’s moon was the Ripe Corn Moon — and if you’ve tasted fresh corn lately, you’re likely to agree on the aptness of that name. To Colonial Americans, this month held the Hay Moon, and to the medieval English, the Mead Moon.
A toast to tonight’s moon! With mead, if you’ve got it.
