CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (WBOY) — As the saying goes, “April showers bring May flowers.” In this case, the recent rain and snow have brought with them an entire flower moon! Read below to find out what the Flower Moon means and when you can see it.
According to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, May’s Flower Moon comes with the completion of the latest lunar cycle and the beginning of the month of May. Unlike previous moons we’ve covered, the Flower Moon will not be brightest at night, rather it will reach its peak on May 5 at 1:36 p.m., when West Virginians, unfortunately, can’t see it.
Despite the inopportune peak time, the moon will still be very bright on the nights preceding and following the peak time. West Virginians can turn their eyes to the night sky on the nights of May 4 and May 5 to see a bright full moon overhead.
While we’ve covered moon’s with strange names in the past, the Flower Moon is one that has a more self-explanatory origin, the flowers that begin to bloom around this time of year. According to the Old Famer’s Almanac, one of the first uses of the Flower Moon comes from the Native American Algonquin people who used names for several other moons as well.
While the Flower Moon is the most common name for the May full moon, other ones have popped up from various Native American tribes as well such as:
- Budding Moon (Cree)
- Leaf Budding Moon (Cree)
- Planting Moon (Dakota and Lakota)
- Egg Laying Moon (Cree)
- Frog Moon (Cree)
- Moon of the Shedding Ponies (Oglala)
