Weather
By Dan Skeldon
After a gray and gloomy start to May, skies cleared just in time to see May’s full moon on the Friday night of May 5. And true to the old adage, those late April showers are helping those May flowers sprout up nicely, with a helping hand from the warmer temperatures and longer days too. Coincidentally, the May full moon is known as the full “flower” moon in folklore, naturally because it is the month when flowers are in full bloom.
There has always been an aura of fascination with the full moon. It’s said to make Friday nights a little more crazy when the two coincide. Then of course we all know the effect of the full moon on causing astronomically higher tides, as some of our most notable nor’easters have struck during the full (and new) moon. And because of its frequency, the full moon serves as a calendar of sorts.
From full moon to full moon, it’s about a 29.5 day cycle, just shy of the average month. Do the quick math and that means that most months bring us one full moon. But about once every two to three years, a full moon will occur on the first and the last day of the same month. And with that second full moon in the same month, the term “blue moon” is born.
The relatively rare blue moon notwithstanding, the once-a-month traditional full moon served as a great tool for measuring the seasons, particularly by Native American tribes in the Northeast and Great Lakes hundreds of years ago. Tribes gave a name to each month’s full moon, and those names not only stood the test of time and are still used today, but also have gained popularity in mainstream culture too. Here’s a guide to some full moon folklore for selenophiles (those who love the moon) far and wide:
JANUARY: It’s the middle of winter, and for wildlife, food is normally the most scarce with the cold and snowy landscape. Well, maybe not this winter in the Northeast, but most years. While wolves in South Jersey are even more scarce than snow, the January full moon is known in folklore as the full “wolf” moon. That’s because Native American tribes noticed it was this time of year when wolves were most likely to howl at the moon, lamenting the lack of food.
FEBRUARY: This is traditionally the snowiest month in South Jersey. And that’s the case through a lot of the Northeast as well. So it makes sense that the February full moon is known as the full “snow” moon in folklore. It’s the month when the snowpack is at its deepest and most widespread point of the winter, although with climate change that’s not always the case these days. Still, the snowy name has stuck for the February moon.
MARCH: As winter turns to spring, the snow melts, and the ground thaws, earthworms emerge from the ground, a sure sign of spring before there were meteorologists. So it logically follows that March is known for the full “worm” moon. In areas where maple trees and maple sugaring are more common, it’s also known as the full “sap” moon, as it’s the time of the year the sap starts to flow.
APRIL: With April comes the full “pink” moon, and no, it doesn’t appear any more pink than a blue moon does blue. The pink moon was named by Native American tribes for the color of one of the more widespread and also one of the first plants to bloom in the spring. Known as wild ground phlox, it’s often pink in color and blooms throughout April, from the mountains to the prairies and woods across the Northern United States. Phlox sightings would signal the first definitive arrival of spring.
MAY: It’s the full “flower” moon as discussed earlier, and its origins are self-explanatory. The same can be said about its other name, the full “corn planting” moon. ‘Tis the season.
JUNE: June’s full moon name in folklore syncs up very nicely here in South Jersey, the full “strawberry” moon. Many anxiously await the strawberry harvest for those juicy and plump Jersey strawberries. As it turns out, Native American tribes also highlighted the savory strawberry when naming the full moon closest to the annual strawberry harvest.
JULY: The mid-summer full moon is known as the full “buck” moon, and yes, it has to do with deer. Male deer shed their antlers, and begin growing new ones around this time of year. The sight of this was a warning that the hottest weather of the year was imminent. It’s also known as the full “thunder” moon for obvious reasons, as thunder is most likely when summer gives us the hottest and stickiest weather it can offer.
AUGUST: While sturgeon aren’t a mainstream variety of fish here at the shore, Native American tribes did covet the sturgeon, most popular up in the Great Lakes. Sturgeon were most widespread during August, and lend their name to the full moon of August, the full “sturgeon” moon.
SEPTEMBER AND OCTOBER: The full “harvest” moon is whichever full moon is closest to the first day of fall, the autumnal equinox. Two out of every three years, that happens in September. The September full moon is also known as the full “corn” moon, linked of course to the typical fall harvest. Come October, the full “hunter’s” moon will light the way, often helping hunters stalk their prey as hunting season gets underway.
NOVEMBER: For Native American tribes, November was time to set beaver traps, as beavers were prized for their warm fur ahead of the winter. The beaver is also highly active in November, busy building their winter dams. Hence, November is known as the full “beaver” moon.
DECEMBER: While not the coldest month of the winter, especially lately, December marks the start of the winter season, and often delivers the first arctic blasts of the winter. As a result, December is known for the full “cold” moon.
Meteorologist Dan Skeldon has a degree in meteorology from Cornell University. He has forecasted the weather in South Jersey for the last 18 years, first on the former television station NBC40 and then on Longport Media radio. Dan has earned the American Meteorological Society Seal of Approval for Broadcast Meteorologists, and now does television broadcasts on WFMZ-TV in Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley.
