by Sid Baglini
Friday, May 5, 2023, 8:45 P.M.
This month, we will walk under what is called The Full Flower Moon so we will be paying attention to the gardens in Malvern on our stroll. Don’t expect to be wowed by the brilliance of the flowers, for darkness, even under a Full Moon, dulls them to insignificant gray. However, longtime participants know the secret of the Moon Garden, a concept featured in one of the major exhibits at the recent Philadelphia Flower Show, and we will revisit that bit of magic on our walk.
While the Algonquin tribe is credited with originating the name Full Flower Moon, the Dakotas similarly called it the Month of Flowers Moon. The Cree joined in with The Budding Moon and The Leaf Budding Moon. Of course, all this reawakening of plant life also meant work in the form of gardening and so naturally we have another Dakota name, The Planting Moon. When it comes to the animals, we repeat The Egg Laying Moon and The Frog Moon from last month. My favorite animal reference of the year is the Oglala tribe’s The Moon of the Shedding Ponies.
Our walk will correspond with the Eta Aquariids meteor shower which runs from April 15th to May 27th, but happens to peak on the night of our Moon Walk. It’s a very active event in the southern tropics, but above the Equator, it will only produce about 10 to 30 meteors per hour. We might get lucky, but with the Moon full, the light will limit the number of meteors that will be visible. Failing a meteor sighting, at least we will have Venus shining brightly and perhaps another surprise, if the sky is clear.
Please join us for a congenial night of Moon appreciation moments. The night sky is full of surprises and so is our monthly outing under lunar light so don’t miss out on the fun. Cross your fingers for clear skies, but remember that we walk even when the Moon is partially or completely hidden. We meet in the parking lot of the Baptist Church near the corner of 1st Avenue and Channing Avenue.