Hi there! We hadn’t heard of this term before, but after doing a little research, we found the following: According one source, in French folklore, if the full Moon occurs in late April or early May, it is called the “russet Moon” or “red Moon,” or in French, “la lune rousse,” because it is thought to bring frosts, which brown the vegetation (hence, “russet”). Another source says that the belief wasn’t that the Moon at this time brought damaging cold temperatures, but that the moonlight itself during this time period was injurious to plants. Another source stated that “lune rousse” is the full Moon after Easter. As you can see, the folklore varies a bit, but overall, it links the April/May Moon to poor plant health. Thanks for sharing!
Hi there! We hadn’t heard of this term before, but after doing a little research, we found the following: According one source, in French folklore, if the full Moon occurs in late April or early May, it is called the “russet Moon” or “red Moon,” or in French, “la lune rousse,” because it is thought to bring frosts, which brown the vegetation (hence, “russet”). Another source says that the belief wasn’t that the Moon at this time brought damaging cold temperatures, but that the moonlight itself during this time period was injurious to plants. Another source stated that “lune rousse” is the full Moon after Easter. As you can see, the folklore varies a bit, but overall, it links the April/May Moon to poor plant health. Thanks for sharing!