Pink Moon

The Pink Moon is the traditional name for April's Full Moon, and despite the name, its actual color is the same pale white-gold as any other Full Moon — it doesn't turn pink in the sky. The name comes from Phlox subulata, commonly called moss pink or creeping phlox, one of the earliest wildflowers to bloom across eastern North America in spring, and it entered wide use through the Farmers' Almanac, which popularized a set of monthly Full Moon names drawn from Algonquian, colonial American, and European folk traditions. Other regional names for the same April Full Moon include the Sprouting Grass Moon, Egg Moon, and Fish Moon — each tied to a different seasonal marker like planting, egg-laying birds, or fish spawning runs. Because these names were tied to the natural year rather than a fixed date, the Pink Moon doesn't fall on the same calendar day every year; it's whichever Full Moon lands in April, occasionally close enough to the spring equinox to be confused with a different seasonal marker entirely.