The May full moon is most often called the Flower Moon. “Flower Moon” is attributed to the Algonquin and Comanche peoples. The Anishnaabeg call May’s moon the Blossom Moon, and the Kalapuya are even more specific: Camas Blooming Moon. The Shoshone call this the Budding Moon. A common proverb in English-speaking countries asserts that “April showers bring May flowers!” It’s in May that many spring flowers start to appear, whether they are weeds in a lawn, cultivated flowers in a garden, or fleeting “spring ephemerals” in the woods. In most places May is a point in the spectrum of spring, and many of the full-moon names reflect that. Both the Choctaw and Creek tribes call this the Mulberry Moon, and the Arapaho call it When the Ponies Shed Their Shaggy Hair Moon. (I can’t say I’ve seen a pony shed it’s shaggy hair, but this sounds amazing!)
In my part of the world, May is the height of spring and flowers are starting to bloom in earnest. A fun and easy way to celebrate the Flower Moon is by making some dried flower artwork.
Flower Moon Dried Flower Art
We used flowers that we had pressed last summer for this project, but you could also collect spring flowers that are blooming now and press them under some heavy books for a week or so.
Materials:
- dried pressed flowers
- heavy paper (like watercolor paper or cardstock)
- glue
Method:
Cut out your paper in a circle shape, trace a plate or other round object to help you get a perfect circle.
Arrange the flowers until you like the way they look. Try experimenting with radial symmetry, which mean that there is symmetry around a central axis, as in a starfish or a flower.
Once you are happy without your layout, carefully glue down the flowers.