Strawberry Moons Forever

There is a Moon, a full Moon, a full Moon in June! 

As Spring turns to Summer, berries begin to burst from bushes. To those who roamed much of North America, strawberries were a sweet, tangy, and nutritious food staple that was only available for a limited time. 

In Europe, Strawberries were once unknown. June's full moon, to celebrate when fragrant gardens reached their peak, was called the Rose Moon. Other names for the Strawberry Moon include the Hot Moon because of the beginning of Summer, Honey Moon, and to signify the first hay harvest, the Hay Moon. 

Taking a low and shallow path across the sky, the Strawberry Moon gains an orange or yellow tint, given this interesting color by traveling through more of Earth's atmosphere. 

As popular culture and witty phrases have said, madness tends to take hold during a full moon. The word lunatic has Luna (Moon) right in it! The legends of werewolves play into this as some historians believe that ancient people used werewolves and the effects of being a werewolf to explain insanity. Modern day psychiatry staff, emergency room personnel, and late night cops mutter the phrase "it must be a full moon " quite commonly apparently. 

Superstitions involving the Moon are abundant. Some people believe that the fifth day after a full moon is the perfect time to conceive a child. In some Chinese religions, offerings are made to ancestors on the night of a full Moon. In some Native American legends, the Moon is held captive by a hostile tribe. A pair of Antelope try to rescue the Moon and take it to a good tribe but the Coyote, a trickster, interferes and is chased by the Antelope. The Coyote tosses the Moon into a river each night to evade capture. 

Ancient physicians also believed that the phases of the moon impacted the health of people. As the moon moves the tides, so too can it move the water in our bodies. The good news is that much of this has been explained with modern medicine. Many factors affect the water in our bodies. So don't worry about turning into a werewolf or anything!