The Strawberry Moon 🍓

Don't miss it tonight! ✨

Jun 29, 2026

This morning, on the eve of the Strawberry Moon, I’m sitting here with a warm mug of Double Green Matcha Strawberry tea, sweetened with a splash of oat milk and a drizzle of honey. I didn’t want this day to pass without sharing a little bit of its magic with you.

The very first full moon I ever illustrated was the Strawberry Moon. It has always felt special to me.

Maybe it’s because one of my favorite childhood dresses was a simple white cotton dress scattered with tiny strawberries. Or maybe it’s because strawberries carry the sweetness of summer itself—sun-warmed afternoons, stained fingertips, and memories that somehow stay with us long after the season has passed.

When I first heard the name Strawberry Moon, I was instantly intrigued. Strawberries and the moon? Was the moon supposed to be strawberry-colored?

It wasn’t.

So why was it called that?

I had to know more.

I discovered the name comes from the time of year when strawberries were traditionally harvested. Suddenly it wasn’t about the color of the moon at all—it was about paying attention to the seasons and celebrating what the earth was offering.

The Aloguin Indigenous Peoples named this June moon. It was inspired by all those ripe, delicious, wild strawberries.

When my daughter was little, we used to visit a farm where children could meet the animals before heading out into the strawberry fields with little baskets in hand. Every child came back with berry-stained fingers and pink smiles. I’m quite sure they sampled as many strawberries as they picked.

There’s something about summer that asks us to slow down. Sweet berries picked from plants in the earth. Long evenings filled with sunlight. The moments that disappear almost as quickly as they arrive. Summer has a way of reminding us to catch it while we can.

The Strawberry Moon rises just as those fleeting days begin to unfold. To me, it feels like an invitation to stop longing for what’s next. To stop with the long to-do lists. To look around and enjoy life as it is right now.

Take a moment. Collect them. Summer seems to hold the power to create memories that stay with us throughout time.

I’ve been reminding myself of that lately.

The past few weeks, I’ve been buried in to-do lists. I convinced myself that if I just powered through a little longer, I’d finally catch up. One more project. One more email. One more thing crossed off the list.

The first things to disappear were long daily walks or visits to the botanical gardens each morning.

Ironically, that’s the very thing that fuels my creativity.

After several long days at my desk, I clipped Midge’s leash on one evening and opened the front door.

I was greeted by a sky that looked as though someone had brushed watercolor across it – layers of glowing pinks, peaches, and gold melting into one another. The light washed over everything, making the whole neighborhood feel ethereal, as if I had slipped into a wonderland.

The photos do not do it justice. But none the less, I had to share some.

I could feel the heaviness leaving my body. That flow began to stir inside me. The desire rose to make something of it all.

I wondered: How many nights have I missed this?

This little bit of magic lasted only fifteen minutes, but it was enough.

It reminded me of something I sometimes forget, even though it is what I preach daily. You can’t skip nature. Not if you want to feel inspired. Not if you want to feel balanced. Not if you want to remember what it’s like to be alive in this moment.

Nature isn’t time away from your work. It is what makes your work what it is. It makes me who I am because it is so easy to lose that person in today’s world.

All it asks is that you open the door and step outside.