Beaver Moon Lights Lassen

On the night before this year’s Beaver Moon (the November full moon), Shanda Ochs photographed it silhouetting trees at Lassen Volcanic National Park.

Shanda reports this extended autumn has produced a number of surprises in the national park, including the beaver moon and an abundance of fall color at Cliff Lake (7,300′).

Normally, Manzanita Lake (5,900′) is the last area in Lassen Volcanic to carry fall color. Shanda opines that the late show may be due to that Cliff Lake sits in a basin, at the foot of Reading Peak, that is relatively protected from wind.

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All the foliage there was at peak color and is likely to last due to the mild conditions (no wind, warm days and cool nights).

Jepson Willow, is likely to be the variety seen in her photographs, as it is the highest elevation willow native to Lassen Volcanic. Also common is Lemmons willow.

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Presently, the national park’s grasses are displaying beautiful warm color.

• Cliff Lake (7,300′) – Peak to Past Peak, GO NOW, YOU ALMOST MISSED IT.

The November full moon has been called a Beaver Moon by native people for centuries. It indicates the time of year when beaver have retreated to their lodges, having stored food for winter.

Trappers quickly recognized the Beaver Moon as an ideal time to harvest beaver, as they would be lethargic in their lodges and wearing heavy winter pelts.

Native people identified full moons by harvest, catch, hunt, climate or cultural ceremony. Anglo-Saxons named some to mark religious periods (Paschal, Yule). A few overlap months, though the first citation is the most-used description (e.g., Wolf moon in Jan, though it’s also used in December). Source: timeanddate.com

• January – Wolf moon (alt: Moon After Yule, Ice moon, Snow moon)
• February – Snow moon (Hunger moon, Chaste moon)
• March – Worm moon (Crow moon, Crust moon, Sap moon, Chaste moon, Lenten moon)
• April – Pink moon (Sprouting grass moon, Fish moon, Hare moon, Egg moon, Paschal moon)
• May – Flower moon (Corn planting moon, Milk moon)
• June – Strawberry moon (Hot moon, Mead moon, Rose moon)
• July – Buck moon (Thunder moon, Wort moon, Hay moon)
• August – Sturgeon moon (Green corn moon, Barley moon, Fruit moon, Grain moon)
• September/October – Harvest moon (full moon closest to autumnal equinox)
• September – Corn moon (Full corn moon, Barley moon)
• October – Hunter’s moon (Dying grass moon, Blood or Sanguine moon – not to be confused with the Blood moon marking a total lunar eclipse)
• November – Beaver moon (Frosty moon, Oak moon, Mourning moon)
• December – Cold moon (Oak moon, Moon Before Yule, Wolf moon)