Why it's called the Flower Moon
May's full moon is the Flower Moon, named for the month when northern meadows finally commit to blooming. Algonquian traditions used the name; European farm calendars knew the same moon as the Milk Moon (cattle back on fresh grass) or the Planting Moon.
The Flower Moon in the sky
By May the full moon has begun riding lower across the sky — the mirror of the climbing sun. Warm, short nights make it one of the most comfortable full moons of the year to actually sit outside with.
What the Flower Moon means
The Flower Moon's theme is abundance in progress: not harvest yet, but proof the growing works. In moon practice it's a moon for tending — watering what you started rather than starting more.
When is the next Flower Moon?
20 May 2027 at 11:00 UTC.
Why is it called the Flower Moon?
For the surge of wildflowers and blossom in May. European alternatives — Milk Moon, Planting Moon — describe the same point in the farming year.
Why does the Flower Moon look lower in the sky?
A full moon mirrors the sun. As the May sun climbs higher, its opposing full moon crosses correspondingly lower.