It's all a bang in July!
The Full Moons of the Year
July's Buck Moon
The Buck Moon is named after the time of year when the bucks {male deer} begin to grow velvety fur antlers. If you have grown up with or are hunter or huntresses of deer, then you'll be familiar with some of the ethos surrounding more ethical hunters. Some hunter(esses) will not hunt bucks with less than a certain amount of antlers. Why is this? Antlers generally are not a reliable way to determine an animals age. However, the two cases where a hunter can be fairly certain that antlers are a good indication of age is for yearling deer and elk, which have spikes rather than branched antlers.
This moon is also symbolic of the turning away of focus from plants to animals. Deer and elk in past and current cultures will be welcomed food for the upcoming winter season.
Like other full moons, the Buck Moon also have different names and associations based on what is currently occurring in nature. The Anishinaabemowin (Ojibwe) also call July's full moon the Halfway Summer, Raspberry , Blueberry and Flying moons. The Catawba Language, Catawba Indian Nation, South Carolina call it the Thunderstorm Moon. The Mahican Dialect, Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Wisconsin call it the Honey Bee Moon. Finally, the Oneida and Tunica-Biloxi Tribe of Louisiana call the moon the String Bean Moon and Little Sister of the Summer Moon respectively.
This is the time take in the hard work of the honey bees as you both cultivate together. Don't forget to pluck the ripe raspberries and blueberries as they grow uncontrollably from nature's rain filled thunderstorms we've been enjoying lately.
June's Strawberry Moon
Moons have particular names as a way of tracking the seasons {when people didn't rely on a date in the Gregorian calendar-or any calendar for that matter}. They were much more observant of nature back then and its cycles than we are today. That's why June's moon is called the Strawberry Moon by the Ojibwa {who also call it the Gardening and Flowering Moon}, Oneida, and Mahican Dialect, Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Wisconsin tribes. It is also called the Summer Moon by the Tunica, Tunica-Biloxi Tribe of Louisiana; as well as the River Moon by the Catawba Language, Catawba Indian Nation, South Carolina. While the Strawberry Moon designation references the ripening of “June-bearing” strawberries. It still remains illusive to this writer why it's also called the River Moon {if you know please drop us a note!).
This moon like other's can also be named more descriptively for its event. The Cherokee, Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, North Carolina call this time, "They Are Arriving/Plants in Garden are Sprouting Month," which we can conjecture corresponds to early summer crops {like strawberries, rhubarb, chives, some lettuces and broccoli. And those early sprouting flowers, and veg like tomatoes}.
What does this have to do with gardening? Hopefully you planted in spring to reap a harvest of June crops. Either way, it's still a time to keep planting and also notice what flowers, fruits and vegetables are "suddenly" springing up for human, animal and critter consumption.
May's Flower Moon
This moon's name is an acknowledgment of spring and its blooms that happen in May that are native to particular areas.
There are even more names to this full moon such as Mulberry Moon, so named by the Creek and Choctaw tribes, because fruits from the Mulberry tree blossomed in their areas.
This May moon can also be referenced as a a period of time. For example the Kalapuya, of the Pacific Northwest, call it Camas Blooming Time, because the blue flowers spring to life in the meadow during this month. Finally, the Cherokee, Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, North Carolina, call it Planting Month. Isn't the latter what this moon is for all of us? On some days I might even call it the Planting Stress Month.
In medieval England, paganism referred to this moon as the Hare Moon. It symbolized fertility. Pagans believed moon-gazing hares would bring growth, re-birth, abundance, new beginnings and fortune.
What does this have to do with gardening? Well this is the time we should be planting for our summer harvest, as well as observing all the native plants around us. While May's Flower Moon maybe focused on flowers, plenty of wild crops are blooming as well. Such as ramps and nettles in my North Central American location.
Spend this beautiful month taking in the native flowers, plants and fruits of your region. Silently or out loud let Mother Earth know how much you appreciate her beauty.
