August is upon us and gracing us with a seasonal blue moon. Different than a traditional blue moon (second one in the same month), a seasonal blue moon is a fourth full moon occurring between solstices. So while August only has one full moon, we will have four full moons from the June Solstice to the September Solstice instead of the traditional three full moons.

Hence, a seasonal blue moon.

Other Anglo-Saxon monikers include the Barley Moon and the Green Corn Moon. The Algonquin, around the Great Lakes of North America referred to it as the sturgeon moon since this lake fish was plentiful in August. Either way, people around the world recognized this month as a time of plenty and a time to begin preparing for the long winter ahead.