Many people call July’s full moon the Buck Moon because that’s the name that the Farmers’ Almanac has chosen, but the names found among sources (both Native American and European) are all over the place. There is no tribal citation for buck moon and I have not found any traditional sources for it. It refers to buck’s growing their antlers in which is maybe a thing you notice this time of year, but I can’t say I ever have, Of course, there are all kinds of different things happening in nature depending on where you live. Still, if a theme can be found among many July moon names, it’s probably berries, not bucks: Berry Moon from the Anishinaabe, Moon When the Chokecherries Are Ripe Moon from the Lakota and Arapaho, Red Berries Moon from the Assiniboine, and Blackberry Moon from the Shawnee tribe. Several other names reference the heat of midsummer.
For me though, July often brings a period of intense summer thunderstorms, so that is why Storm or Thunder Moon is the name I prefer. “Thunder Moon” comes from the Western Abenaki language. (I have realized that I have been using thunder and storm interchangeably for some reason and no longer remember which one is actually the traditional name… so I decided to double down and use Thunderstorm Moon.) Summer thunderstorms are one of the best parts of the season, drenching the parched earth and making all of those berries possible!! You can almost feel the air shift during a good thunderstorm, it’s wild and crackley. Thunderstorms really do happen more often in the heat of summer, the (It’s not just my imagination) the atmospheric conditions are better for it in summer. I have a whole round up of summer storm books here you can check out to get excited!
If this time of year is not full of summer thunderstorms (or bucks) where you live, what else do you notice happening in nature? You can use my phenology tracker printable to record your nature observations and select a full name that makes sense for your area. Full moon names are a type of phenology, which is a way to record what is happening in nature. People often think there is only one “proper” name for each month, when in reality there are tons. Different tribes in the US have different names based on what is happening in nature in their area, and there are also names from Europe and beyond. Find a moon name that resonates for you!
Storm Moon Coloring Page
Click on the image below to get the free printable! Find more fun storm moon crafts, activities and recipes here.
These coloring pages are drawn by hand by me. They are for personal use only. No ai or resale please.