Delaware County NY

[Neil Jones]

In article <24178-35E7E21B-21 at newsd-151.iap.bryant.webtv.net>
           sebrez at webtv.net  writes:

> I continue to notice a lack of most species this year, especially
> obvious, monarchs, I have seen hardly any. One other observation, whites
> and sulphurs seem to be larger this year. I am the amateur of amateurs
> and only know the common names, why do most use the scientific names? 

This is an international forum and many of us,like myself, live in countries
where English is not the native language. If I were to refer to a butterfly
called "Britheg y gors" no one would have any idea what kind it was.
If I called it by its scientific name "Euphydryas aurinia" knowledgable
butterfly people all around the world would have an idea what it looked like.
In this case even the English name could confuse people. In this case
it is Marsh Fritillary but it isn't really a Fritillary but what the Americans
call a checkerspot. People in the US even pronounce the word Fritillary 
differently from those in the UK. 

Then you have the problem that common names can be different
The British Camberwell Beauty and the American Mourning Cloak are both
the same animal Nymphalis antiopa.In the UK the Common Blue
is Polyomatus icarus but in the US the common name is used for a 
different species.

Scientific names do change, for example, Euphydryas aurinia tends to be called
Eurodryas aurinia, but if you use both then people will have a better idea
what you mean.

Some people worry about pronouncing the Latin names. Don't. Nobody
is really sure how they should be pronounced anyway.
They really aren't that difficult. Compared with many languages Latin
is reasonably easy to pronounce. Where I come from we have place
names like Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwyllllantysiliogogogoch.

-- 
Neil Jones- Neil at nwjones.demon.co.uk http://www.nwjones.demon.co.uk/
"At some point I had to stand up and be counted. Who speaks for the
butterflies?" Andrew Lees - The quotation on his memorial at Crymlyn Bog
National Nature Reserve