Life in Newburgh on Ythan

By Talpa

A butterfly called dice-box

I can't let the Summer go by without photographing a butterfly, and so here is a Fritillary.

The name fritillary, whether it be this butterfly or the flower known as the snake's head fritillary, comes from the Latin fritillus meaning a dice-box. Back in 1597 J. Gerard wrote in his herbal that "It hath been called Frittillaria, of the table or boord vpon which men plaie at chesse, which square checkers the flower doth very much resemble, some thinking that the chess-board was named Frittillus".

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