Strawberry Moon

The Strawberry Moon is the traditional name for June's Full Moon, given by Algonquian-speaking peoples in what is now the northeastern United States to mark the short window each year when wild strawberries ripen and are ready to gather — a practical seasonal calendar disguised as a poetic name. It has nothing to do with the Moon's actual color, which stays the familiar pale gold-white of any Full Moon, though June's Full Moon does sit lower in the sky than winter Full Moons (opposite the sun's high summer arc), which can make it appear slightly more amber or orange near the horizon due to atmospheric scattering — the same effect responsible for red sunsets. Europe has its own name for the same Moon, the Rose Moon, tied to blooming season rather than fruit. Because the Strawberry Moon is defined by the calendar month rather than a fixed date, it lands on a different day each year and occasionally coincides with the summer solstice, June's other major sky event.