As a general rule, each calendar month has one full moon. In the rare cases when a second full moon occurs in the same month, that moon is called a blue moon. September, for example, has a blue moon once every three years.
In 2022, there will be twelve full moons, which means we won’t be seeing any blue moons this year.
(2023 full moon calendar is now available HERE.)
How Did Each Full Moon Get Its Name?
People haven’t always used the 365-day calendar to keep track of time. Christening the full moons dates back to the Native American tribes and early European settlers.
Since the full moons regularly arrive every month, tribes named each moon based on the flora, fauna, and activities of the season. The Strawberry Moon, for example, always comes around the strawberry harvest in June.
The full moon names came from:
- Bloom and harvest times
- Animal activities such as breeding and migrating
- The weather of the season
- Tribal activities such as hunting, planting crops, and fishing
Below, you’ll find each 2022 full moon, its primary and lesser-known names, the date to see the full moon at its peak, and more information about the moon’s name and meaning.
Wolf Moon
The Wolf Moon will reach its peak on January 17, 2022 at 6:48 p.m. EST
Named for the time of year when the howls of wolves carry through the cold midwinter air. Although it used to be believed that wolves howled due to hunger, howling is a way for the pack to communicate across long distances and can be a way of conveying information such as a wolf’s location, the position of prey, and warnings about other predators.
Alternative names: Spirit Moon • Old Moon
Snow Moon
The Snow Moon will reach its peak on February 16, 2022 at 11:57 a.m. EST
Named for the time of year when winter storms often bring heavy snowfall. Blizzards and harsh weather conditions made hunting difficult for tribes that lived in the north.
Alternative names: Hunger Moon • Bone Moon • Bear Moon
Worm Moon
The Worm Moon will reach its peak on March 18, 2022 at 3:17 a.m. EST
Named for the time of year when life begins to stir in the thawing soil. The robins have returned, and birds gorge themselves on abundant earthworms. Other types of worms and grubs are emerging from tree bark and other winter hideaways.
The northernmost tribes dubbed this the Crow Moon when the cawing crows announced the end of winter’s cold grasp. Settlers also called it the Sap Moon as they tapped maple trees to collect sap.
The Worm Moon occurs on or near the spring equinox—the celebration of Ostara in the Wheel of the Year.
Alternative names: Crow Moon • Sugar Moon • Eagle Moon • Sap Moon • Lenten Moon
Pink Moon
The Pink Moon will reach its peak on April 16, 2022 at 2:55 p.m. ET
Named for the time of year when spring flowers, especially while ground phlox, blanket the earth in bold swathes of color. Phlox is one of the earliest wildflowers to bloom, and its vibrant pink petals gave April’s full moon its name.
Alternative names: Egg Moon • Grass Moon • Budding Moon • Fish Moon
Flower Moon
The Flower Moon will reach its peak on May 16, 2022 at 12:14 a.m. ET
Named for the time of year when spring blooms erupt in a fragrant, colorful landscape. This includes spring bulbs such as crocus, daffodil, narcissus, tulip, lily of the valley, hyacinth, and bluebells; flowering trees such as dogwood, redbud, magnolia, crabapple, crape myrtle, and pear; and early-blooming perennials such as peony, hellebore, violet, iris, bloodroot, bleeding heart, and primrose.
Alternative names: Milk Moon • Mother’s Moon • Frog Moon • Corn Planting Moon
Strawberry Moon
The Strawberry Moon will reach its peak on June 14, 2022 at 7:52 a.m. ET
Named for the time of year when the strawberries are ripening. Because the strawberry harvest season is short, the Strawberry Moon was a universal christening among all of the Algonquin tribes. Europeans often called this full moon the Rose Moon instead.
The Strawberry Moon usually falls near the summer solstice—the celebration of Litha in the Wheel of the Year.
Alternative names: Rose Moon • Hoeing Moon • Mead Moon • Honey Moon
Buck Moon
The Buck Moon will reach its peak on July 13, 2022 at 2:37 p.m. ET
Named for the time of year when a buck’s antlers are developing. During this season, the antlers are coated in velvety fur, and they’re just starting to push out of the forehead. Another common name for this moon is the Thunder Moon in reference to the seasonally heavy thunderstorms.
Alternative names: Stag Moon • Thunder Moon • Raspberry Moon • Salmon Moon • Hay Moon
Sturgeon Moon
The Sturgeon Moon will reach its peak on August 11, 2022 at 9:36 p.m. ET
Named for the time of year when fishing tribes produced high yields of surgeons from the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain.
Alternative names: Red Moon • Green Corn Moon • Grain Moon
Harvest Moon
The Harvest Moon will reach its peak on September 10, 2022 at 5:59 a.m. ET
Named for the time of year when the crops are ready for harvest. September’s full moon usually arrives on or near the autumnal equinox when Mabon is celebrated in the Wheel of the Year.
The light of the full Harvest Moon allowed farmers and gatherers to work late into the night. Harvest time in the Northeast and Great Lakes yielded acorns, beans, birch bark, blackberries, blueberries, cattails, corn, cotton, cranberries, fish, grapes, honey, meats, milkweed, mint, pawpaws, peas, pecans, peppers, persimmons, potatoes, pumpkins, sassafras, squash, sunflowers, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, walnuts, wild rice, et cetera.
Alternative names: Barley Moon • Yellow Moon • Leaf Moon
Hunter’s Moon
The Hunter’s Moon will reach its peak on October 9, 2022 at 4:55 p.m. ET
Named for the time of year when the game is matured and fattened for winter. Now that the fields have been cleared, hunters can easily spot foxes and other animals on the open landscape. Hunting tribes prepare their stores of provisions for the long, cold months ahead. This moon is historically celebrated with a community feast.
Alternative names: Blood Moon • Sanguine Moon • Migrating Moon • Falling Leaves Moon
Beaver Moon
The Beaver Moon will reach its peak on November 8, 2022 at 6:02 a.m. EST
Named for the time of year when settlers put out beaver traps before the swamps and ponds freeze. As winter looms closer, the beavers are finishing their preparations and will soon retreat into their lodges.
(A beaver’s lodge is not the same as a dam, which is built to block flowing water and form ponds to create an ideal environment. A lodge is a small, dome-shaped “house” made from woven sticks, grasses, and mosses, and held together with mud.)
Alternative names: Frost Moon
Cold Moon
The Cold Moon will reach its peak on December 7, 2022 at 11:08 p.m. EST
Named for the time of year when winter settles in, the days are short, and the nights are long. By December, most of the wildlife has hunkered down. The leaves have all fallen and the flora is dormant. The world is in a state of rest.
Some years, the Cold Moon arrives near the winter solstice when Yule is celebrated in the Wheel of the Year.
Alternative names: Long Night’s Moon
Award-winning fantasy author, freelance writer, spiritual explorer, and sole founder of Green Witch Lunar Witch. She created her first website in 2016 and published her first novel two years later. Sara spends most of her time writing, creating, and daydreaming.