What is the Buck Moon? A guide to full moon nicknames

The names for full moons, especially the most common ones adopted by the Old Farmer's Almanac, generally come from a combination of Native American and Colonial American terminology that have been passed down through generations.

According to the Old Farmer's Almanac, January's full moon was named the Wolf Moon because wolves tend to howl more during this time period. 

February is generally the snowiest month of the year in North America, so its full moon was appropriately nicknamed the Snow Moon, according to the Old Farmer's Almanac.

Other names: Hunger Moon, Storm Moon and Chaste Moon.

March marks the end of winter, which is the first time earthworms start coming out of the ground. The Worm Moon in March is usually the last full moon before the spring equinox.

Other names: Crow Moon, Crust Moon, Sap Moon, Sugar Moon, and Chaste Moon.

April's Pink Moon doesn't actually appear pink in the sky. It's named instead after the pink flowers – Wild Ground Phlox or Moss Phlox– that start showing up in early spring, according to TimeandDate.com.

April's full moon is also called the Paschal Full Moon in the Christian calendar. The Paschal Full Moon is the first full moon after the Vernal Equinox and is used to determine the date for Easter.

May's full moon is simply named the Flower Moon due to the flowers that bloom during the month.

Other names: Corn Planting Moon and Milk Moon.

In North America, the name comes from Algonquin tribes of Native Americans. This full moon was their sign to harvest wild strawberries, according to The Old Farmer's Almanac.

Other names: Honey Moon, Mead Moon, Full Rose Moon, Oak Moon, Cold Moon or Long Night Moon, according to EarthSky.org.

Antlers generally start showing up on male deer during July, giving the month's full moon the name Buck Moon.

Other names: Thunder Moon, Wort Moon, and Hay Moon.

Many Native American tribes would fish for sturgeon during August, thus giving the month's full moon the name Sturgeon Moon. 

The fish were once found in much of the U.S. and Canada, but the population has been significantly depleted due to overfishing. 

The September full moon is usually the Harvest Moon, which is the full moon closest to the autumnal equinox. However, that sometimes happens in early October instead.

The name Corn Moon is used nearly as often.

As previously mentioned, October's full moon is sometimes referred to as the Harvest Moon if it's the closest full moon to the autumnal equinox. However, it's more commonly referred to as the Hunter's Moon. This is because October was when people in the Northern Hemisphere would begin preparing for winter by hunting, slaughtering and preserving meat.

Other names: Blood Moon, Sanguine Moon, Travel Moon and Dying Grass Moon.

Colonists and Native Americans used beaver furs to keep warm during winter. They'd set traps in November before swamps froze over to make sure they had enough fur for the cold months ahead. Beavers also became more active during November, making it that much easier to trap them, thus the name Beaver Moon.

Due to hunting, the beaver population in North America has dwindled to about 12 million, where it used to be about 60 million, according to TimeandDate.com.

The naming of December's full moon is pretty straightforward — it's cold in December in most parts of the Northern Hemisphere. More specifically, it's usually the first month in many areas where it gets really cold and stays that way.

Other names:  Long Nights Moon, Moon Before Yule, Oak Moon and Wolf Moon.

The Blue Moon has nothing to do with color. Most commonly, a Blue Moon occurs when there are two full moons in the same month. The first would get the traditional name, while the second moon is called the Blue Moon.

An alternative definition considers a Blue Moon the third full moon in an astronomical season with four full moons, according to TimeandDate.com. A typical season has three full moons.