Watch the Full Flower Moon Bloom!
May’s full Moon reaches its peak on May 5, 2023! Here’s everything you should know about this month’s full Moon, including how it came to be called the “Flower Moon.”
When to See the Full Moon in May 2023
May’s full Flower Moon reaches peak illumination at 1:36 P.M. (EDT) on Friday, May 5. It will be below the horizon at this time, so plan to venture outdoors on the nights of the 4th and the 5th to get the best view of the bright full Flower Moon! Find a location with unobstructed views of the horizon, if possible. See what time the moon will be visible in your area with our Moonrise and Moonset Calculator.
Why Is It Called the Flower Moon?
The full moon names used by The Old Farmer’s Almanac come from a number of places, including Native American, Colonial American, and European sources. Traditionally, each full Moon name was applied to the entire lunar month in which it occurred, not solely to the full Moon.
The Flower Moon
May’s Flower Moon name should be no surprise; flowers spring forth across North America in abundance this month!
- “Flower Moon” has been attributed to Algonquin peoples, as confirmed by Christina Ruddy of The Algonquin Way Cultural Centre in Pikwakanagan, Ontario.
- May’s Moon was also referred to as the “Month of Flowers” by Jonathan Carver in his 1798 publication, Travels Through the Interior Parts of North America: 1766, 1767, 1768 (pp. 250-252), as a likely Dakota name. Carver stayed with the Naudowessie (Dakota) over a period of time; his expedition covered the Great Lakes region, including Wisconsin and Minnesota areas.
- Henry David Thoreau sparked the Native American Moon names as well, referencing the Flower Moon and Carver when he wrote about Native Americans.
Alternative May Moon Names
May’s Moon names tend to speak to the arrival of spring and all that it entails!
The Cree names Budding Moon and Leaf Budding Moon celebrate the awakening of local flora, which really begin to leaf out now in many areas. Similarly, Planting Moon (Dakota, Lakota) marks the time when seeds should be started for the farming season ahead.
The activities of animals marked spring’s arrival, too, which is highlighted by the Cree names Egg Laying Moon and Frog Moon, as well as the Oglala term Moon of the Shedding Ponies. All three names indicate that warmer weather is on the way!
→ See all 12 months of full Moon names and meanings.
Moon Phases for May 2023
All dates and times are EDT. See our Moon Phase Calendar for times in your location.
.png){kind=small} | Full Moon: May 5, 1:36 P.M. EDT |
.png){kind=small} | Last Quarter: May 12, 10:29 A.M. EDT |
.png){kind=small} | New Moon: May 19, 11:55 A.M. EDT |
.png){kind=small} | First Quarter: May 27, 11:23 A.M. EDT |
→ When is the next full Moon? Find out in our Full Moon Dates chart.
Full Flower Moon Video
Each month, we will explain the traditional names of the full Moon along with some Moon facts. Click below to watch the video and learn about May’s Full Flower Moon.
Best Days in May 2023
Below are the best days for activities, based on the Moon’s sign and phase in May.
For Gardening:
- Planting aboveground crops: 4, 22, 23
- Planting belowground crops: 13, 14
For Setting Eggs:
- 1, 2, 11, 12, 28–30
For Fishing:
- 1–5, 19–31
→ See the Best Days for more activities.
Full Moon Folklore
- Clothes washed for the first time in the Full Moon will not last long.
- The Full Moon is an ideal time to accept a proposal of marriage.
Share your thoughts about the May Moon below!
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Last year about this time was the first time I saw my first SUPERMOON and I am a lifetime stargazer .. what we witnessed was the clouds came in fast and dark and u. Could barely see her then poof the dark clouds vanished and she was glowing enough to put glare in camera ....I am a moon child..actually I would say sky child too my favorite ..watching white puffy clouds form shapes as a child .my brother and I still do after 55 years now when can name from characters in fantasy stories.. our first supermoon was the universes way of communicating with me that we are on a lil piece of heaven and our total world our trees that frame the sky look like a heart ..I have moon phase apps.on my phone lol. LUNA LOVER
Last year about this time was the first time I saw my first SUPERMOON and I am a lifetime stargazer .. what we witnessed was the clouds came in fast and dark and u. Could barely see her then poof the dark clouds vanished and she was glowing enough to put glare in camera ....I am a moon child..actually I would say sky child too my favorite ..watching white puffy clouds form shapes as a child .my brother and I still do after 55 years now when can name from characters in fantasy stories.. our first supermoon was the universes way of communicating with me that we are on a lil piece of heaven and our total world our trees that frame the sky look like a heart ..I have moon phase apps.on my phone lol. LUNA LOVER
Dude, my grandma, who was a woman of pure European blood in a very isolated rural area of Europe, called the whole month of may Flower Month. We usually make sculpture with certain flowers and leaves, and carpets of flowers in this month, so… the name is just logical.
Hello,
I am a large beef farmer's daughter and now soon 52 yrs young. My parents were huge gardeners as well. I have had a vegetable/flower garden for as long as I can remember. I have never planted according to the moon phases. My parents spoke of always planting on the May Long Weekend. That is traditionally the time to plant in our zone 3. I am rethinking this tradition a little and tweaking it some... I am always struggling with spinach that bolts and lettuce! Well it loves cooler temps and I intend to plant it today or tomorrow along with peas, kale, brussell sprouts, and cabbage. The moon is in the waxing phase here now as just recently being the new moon. So it may just cost me some seed but after all that I have read I believe I will have a great harvest of these veg this year. PS my spinach actually over-wintered last year 2019-2020 which was not a very mild winter but lots of snow for insulation may have facilitated this.
Poppies, snapdragons are going directly out soon as well. They have also year after year came up from self sowing and I am not worried about these hardy frost tolerant floweres.
After the full moon in April I will experiment with the waning moon phase with potatoes, radish, turnip, beets, and onions. What do you think of this idea? I am wrong should I wait until the same periods in May as it is April here and our last frost date is June 6?
Since the pandemic hit I started a mail order seed business. It is my new passion and so far growing and doing well and steady.
Thanks for any advice you can offer.
Those root crops are all cool-weather tolerant, so you could certainly get away with starting them at the end of April and into early May. However, the most important factor is your garden’s soil temperature. If the soil temperature is below 10°C (50°F), most seeds won’t germinate or will take a longer time to get started.
In any case, you’ll want to keep a close eye on the forecast and cover any young plants (especially potatoes) to protect their foliage from frosts.
I have long thought that if I've lived past lives, I have stared at the same moon from different eyes, in places and times long forgotten. Such a comforting thought :) Love your articles, thank you!
Like Connie on May 29, 2018 - 10:19am, I have always loved looking at the moon. When I was a little girl I would lay on the grass and let the moon "pull me". I can barely explain it in any terms that make sense but I could/can feel a subtle, visceral (sensation) of pulling (what I thought at the time, pre-5 years old). I thinking about it now, I feel it interacts with my solar plexus chakra and even as I type, I feel it. (true story) For all of our wisdom and knowledge though, we have so much yet to learn about who we really are and how we fit into the grand design. <3 THANKS too, to you for forging this path - to help bridge the past with the present & future.
I too have always had an feeling that as a young person could not understand. Now I'm in my later years and get it. Could not put into words what I knew in my mind.l never spoke of it,looking ,studying, and feeling these pulls toward it.After all,I went to Catholic school and the nuns only spoke of it as something G d made,yet ,I stayed in wonder.
My grandmother was a true believer in attending to health matters according to the farmer's almanac. I will be having hip and knee surgery in the near future. When would be the best time to have it done for healing during the month of May and June. thank you.
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