The Harvest Moon welcomes you to
Autumn in Wisconsin
Not so long ago, before electric lights, farmers relied on moonlight to harvest autumn crops. With everything ripening at once, there was too much work to to do to stop at sundown. The "Harvest Moon" is a full moon that graces our skies each autumn, allowing work to continue into the night.
• Full Harvest Moon - September. This is the full Moon that occurs closest to the autumn equinox(in 2007 this was September 26). In two years out of three, the Harvest Moon comes in September, but in some years it occurs in October. At the peak of harvest, farmers can work late into the night by the light of this Moon. Usually the full Moon rises an average of 50 minutes later each night, but for the few nights around the Harvest Moon, the Moon seems to rise at nearly the same time each night: just 25 to 30 minutes later across the U.S., and only 10 to 20 minutes later for much of Canada and Europe. Corn, pumpkins, squash, beans, and wild rice(the chief Indian staples) are now ready for gathering.
• Full Hunter's Moon - October. With the leaves falling and the deer fattened, it is time to hunt. Since the fields have been reaped, hunters can easily see fox and the animals which have come out to glean the remains of the harvested crops.
Click Here for a listing of all the great Autumn events and celebrations throughout Wisconsin during the month of November!
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