Weather Words: Flower Moon

If you are lucky enough to have a mostly clear evening, make sure you stop and check out the full moon on Sunday night and Monday night. May’s full moon is most commonly referred to as the flower moon.

The Native Americans called May’s full moon the flower moon because of the many budding flowers that cover the landscape in May. It is believed that May’s full moon has also been known as the budding moon, planting moon, milk moon, among others.

The idea of naming each full moon began centuries ago as a method of time keeping. Each name is unique to what was occurring in nature, and was helpful in knowing when to plant, when to harvest, and so on.

So while the flower moon is no different from any other full moon, it’s nice to sometimes stop and admire the simple beauty of the night sky. It reminds us of how deeply connected our lives have always been to the rhythms of nature.

Jennifer Gray is a weather and climate writer for weather.com. She has been covering some of the world's biggest weather and climate stories for the last two decades.