JACKSON, Wyo. — June’s full moon, also known as the “Strawberry Moon,” will reach peak illumination at 1:46 a.m. on Wednesday, June 11.
When the moon is lower in the sky, as it appears at this time of year, it is more likely to take on a reddish hue as it shines through denser layers of the atmosphere. While the moon might take on a reddish hue when it rises tonight, the berry-related nickname is less about the color than it is about the planet’s seasonal cycles.
In North America, June is a time of great abundance during early summer, with flowers blooming and fruit ripening. According to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, the Anishnabe (Algonquin), Anishinaabeg (Ojibwe), Isanti (Dakota) and Teton Sioux (Lakota) peoples, among others, referred to the entire June lunar month as the Strawberry Moon, a nod to the ripening strawberries that occur all month long. The Haida term “Berries Ripen Moon” reflects this as well.
Other names for the June full moon include “Blooming Moon,” by the Anishinaabeg, “Green Corn Moon” by the Ani’-Yun’wiya’ (Cherokee) and “Hoer Moon” by the Alnôbak (Western Abenaki). These names suggest the flowering season and young crops that begin growing in June.
The Tlingit call June’s full moon the “Birth moon” to align with the birth of animals in the Pacific Northwest. The Iyiniwok (Cree) used the terms “Egg Laying Moon” and “Hatching Moon,” another nod to the new life June brings.
Some European names for June’s full moon include the “Honey Moon” and the “Mead Moon.” Traditionally June is the month of marriage, named after the Roman goddess of marriage, Juno. The “Honey Moon” name could be tied to the “honeymoon” period that follows marriage, per the almanac.
