over the Strawberry Moon

The full moon for June is called the Strawberry Moon and will be at peak illumination on Friday, June 21, 2024 at 7:10pm mountain time.  Best to check it when it is at its loftiest position of the night. This full moon is special this year as it coincides with summer solstice.  The same day the sun is at its highest of the year, the moon will be at its very lowest, it will be at the lowest its been in years.  In Alaska and in Iceland, the moon will not even clear the horizon, they will have no June full moon.  

This moon is close to the horizon, light has to pass through the densest layers of the atmosphere which gives the moon the reddish colour, hence the name.  Native American Tribes used the name Strawberry Moon because June is the time when strawberries ripen and are ready to be harvested.  

This is my watercolour painting of the Strawberry Moon.  It will represent June in my 2025 calendar.  I added a strawberry laying on its side in the centre of the moon. I painted it very close to the horizon and added pinkish glow near it.  Just like some of the other full moons I painted, I now see ways I could have improved the painting but at the time needed to declare it complete. 

For this painting, I used photos that I took while on a road trip to Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve in June of 2012  That was an incredible road trip through Idaho and into Wyoming where I spent time in Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks.  Working on this painting gave me the opportunity to relive this adventure.  

 Wherever I am on the evening of June 21st, 

I will be over the moon if I get to admire the full Strawberry Moon!