Friday, October 7, 2011

A Day of Wonders, Part II

Parthenice Tiger Moth -- Hodges #8196
Grammia parthenice
Bugguide.net says this about the genus name: "Author of Grammia was Rambur, 1866.  Latin grammus is a mark, so perhaps grammia means 'marked.'  Grammus is also a mountain range, or mountain, in Macedonia.  The markings on the wings are rather peaked like a mountain range -- perhaps that is the reference as well.  Likewise, perhaps there is a relationship to 'grammar,' from grammatical-like markings on wings?  At any rate, the genus name seems to refer to the strong markings on the wings."

When it floated to the ground beneath thistle, I followed, lifted some dead twigs and leaves, and found him, wings closed.  A momentary hop onto my fingers resulted in the open-wing view, revealing  a compound-complex sentence asserting tiger, and zebra, and canary, and sunset, burning bright.


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