Today is the Full Strawberry Moon, a name used by all the Algonquin tribes, and so (obviously) named because June is the month when strawberries are ripe for picking. The Lakota called this moon the Drying Up Moon as June is the month of the Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year, and when it first begins to get hotter, thus drying up any residual spring flooding. In Europe it is known among their indigenous peoples as the Rose Moon and many tribes refer to it as the Hot Moon because it heralds the summer season and the hot days ahead. It's neo-pagan name is the Mead Moon.
Even though this is the Strawberry Moon, now is a great time to plant any berry bushes, such as raspberries or blueberries. I saw some lovely ones this afternoon, lush with soon-to-be ripened berries and I contemplated buying a few, but alas I have no place to put them (I guess I'll have to be satisfied with picking them at the small, local farm we've been picking them at for years now). By the next full moon, or shortly thereafter, these fruits will be ready for the picking, just as the days grow hotter and the coolness of tart and juicy fruits would be a welcome snack.
What better way to honor the moon and the Goddess than to plant a fruit-bearing plant on the day of the first full moon that symbolically heralds the season of growth and abundance?
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