#488: Renaming the Pink Cockatoo

An interesting article in the Guardian back in 2023 looked at the comparisons between indigenous naming and the scientific names that are given to species, often by those who 'discover' them. 

One would hope that this aspect of natural history may be included in the specification.

#274: Placename Mapper - looking for natural influences

A nice mapping project shared by R T Wilson.

Thanks to Alasdair Rae for the tipoff.

I created a cool web app using @OrdnanceSurvey data - British Placename Mapper (https://t.co/lEk7T08Ob9). It allows you to search for place names that match various criteria (starts with 'great', ends with 'burgh' etc) and plot them on an interactive map. #gis #geospatial

— Robin Wilson (@sciremotesense) April 2, 2024

This could be useful to investigate the influence of natural landscapes on place names.

There are also some historical suffixes relating to the origins of settlements e.g. I was born in Wickersley - ley means a clearing in a woodland or forest. I am reminded of this when I visit Iceland, as place names are very descriptive and include elements which tell you about the origins of the settlement.

You can search for particular words at the beginning / end etc. of place names and add several layers in different colours (which you choose) to show comparisons.

Here's a map showing place names with WOOD in their name, for example. What can you come up with?

Why not buy them a coffee for their hard work! 

#232: What makes a good bird name?

An interesting piece on bird-naming (and the field of ethno-ornithology.

This was written by Andrew Gosler, a Professor at the University of Oxford.

It explores the decision by the American Ornithological Society, which recently announced it would replace all bird species named after people in North America. This is part of the idea of decolonising nature. The article talks about the process by which birds gain their name, and some of the other local vernacular variations which they also acquire. 

Very few British bird species are actually named after people.

#225: What's in a name?

Carl Linnaeus, a Swedish botanist who we have mentioned elsewhere on the blog  The binomial (i.e. two-name) naming system that we use today, invented by a Swedish botanist called  in the 18th century, gets around this confusion by giving each plant its own unique name. 

Linnaeus' system means that anyone, wherever they are in the world, and whatever language they speak, is able to identify a plant, and communicate that information to someone else and they will understand which plant is being discussed. 

Students (and teachers) will need to know the basics of how this system works.

If you know a little Latin you can also work out what some of the elements of the names mean.

Colour
alba/albus - white
caerulea/caeruleus - blue
coccinea/coccineus - scarlet
argentea - silver

Habitat
alpina/alpinus - alpine
campestris - field
maritima - coastal
montana - mountain
pratensis - meadow
sylvatica - forest

Characteristics
angustifolia - narrow leaves
fragans/fragrantissima - scented
foetida/foetidus - smelly (unpleasant)
grandiflora - large-flowered
nana - small, compact
odorata - perfumed
officinalis - has herbal uses
tomentosum - hairy, downy

Habit
columnaris - columnar
dentata - toothed
fruticosa - bushy
gracilis - slender
reptans - creeping
scandens - climbing

Country or area of origin
chinensis - China
japonica - Japan
sibiricus - Siberia
occidentalis - America
orientalis - Asia

And here's his own name:

There will need to be a lesson sequence which introduces students to the system, and the way that it works and then tests their understanding of key words by giving them some sample names and they need to describe what the plant / animal is / likely to look like.

If anyone has some existing CC licensed resources to share on this that would be of interest.