Scientific names

[Wild-Woman]

I'm desperately trying to get some scientific names for basic species in my head. Any tips for remembering them? Have you got some clever ways I could pinch?
Wildeus womanus forgettfulii

[speckled wood]

The only way I found that worked for me was to think of the species first by its scientific name. ie if you see a Common Toad think Bufo bufo, not Common Toad, see a Painted Lady think Cynthia cardui not Painted Lady .... I am sure that others have better methods but this works for me

Pararge aegeria (you may call me "Aeggy" for short)

[Dorcas]

well I don't know many but started on double barrel names like Lutra lutra - Otter
or troglodytes troglodytes - wren

[Wild-Woman]

Originally Posted by speckled wood

The only way I found that worked for me was to think of the species first by its scientific name. ie if you see a Common Toad think Bufo bufo, not Common Toad, see a Painted Lady think Cynthia cardui not Painted Lady .... I am sure that others have better methods but this works for me

Pararge aegeria (you may call me "Aeggy" for short)

Yeah. Good way. I do try to do both. It depends on the company.If I'm with kids -the common name- group walks, meetings, etc either both or scientific. My friend always uses scientific and I'm sure enjoys seeing me puzzling till I've wrung my brain out trying to remember.Think I need one of those nursery friezes you got as a child with the ABC on it,but with pictures and scientific names!

[Paul mabbott]

Not really.
One helpful thing is to learn what some of the most often used Latin words mean, can be helpful on the species part of the name: so niger/nigra will be 'black', -punctata will be 'spotted', montana will be 'of the mountains', hirsutus will be 'hairy' &c.. At least you only have to remember them once and, amongst insects and plants, the same specific names are used over and over ....
In some ways, insects are the easiest because you don't have English names in the first place! On the other hand without Latin the names are not obvious and even if you do know Latin, the Genus names can still be pretty obscure!
Plants are okay once you've got over the generic name (and lots of these are much as English or, indeed, the same - Geranium, Viola &c) then the specific names tends to pop up over and again - aquatilis, pratensis, montanum &c.
Personally, I have few problems with plants because I learned all those at an early age; I've learned insect names the hard way by constant use; but I still know very few names for birds - partly because they keep changing!
Good luck, Paul

[Wild-Woman]

Originally Posted by Paul mabbott

Not really.
One helpful thing is to learn what some of the most often used Latin words mean, can be helpful on the species part of the name: so niger/nigra will be 'black', -punctata will be 'spotted', montana will be 'of the mountains', hirsutus will be 'hairy' &c.. At least you only have to remember them once and, amongst insects and plants, the same specific names are used over and over ....
In some ways, insects are the easiest because you don't have English names in the first place! On the other hand without Latin the names are not obvious and even if you do know Latin, the Genus names can still be pretty obscure!
Plants are okay once you've got over the generic name (and lots of these are much as English or, indeed, the same - Geranium, Viola &c) then the specific names tends to pop up over and again - aquatilis, pratensis, montanum &c.
Personally, I have few problems with plants because I learned all those at an early age; I've learned insect names the hard way by constant use; but I still know very few names for birds - partly because they keep changing!
Good luck, Paul

Cheers Paul. I'll at least remember your words!
Be fun if we all had scientific names. (Wait for it!)

[chunkychambers]

Originally Posted by Wild-Woman

Cheers Paul. I'll at least remember your words!
Be fun if we all had scientific names. (Wait for it!)

What about "Cynthia Untamedus".......Wild Woman

[badgerwatcher]

I always try to make pictures to conect the two. It doesn't always work but even sometimes the effort of trying makes me remember. I have a very bad memory.
So if Painted Lady is Cynthia cardui, which I didn't know, so hope I've spelled it right, I'd think of Cynthia Pain with lots of make up on, holding car keys, looking quizical.
A bit obscure maybe, but works for me.

[Airehead]

It's easy. All you have to do is learn them while you are young and they stay with you. So I have absolutely no difficulty with the latin names of birds, trees flowers, fish etc that I happened to learn about 40 years ago and absolutely no chance of remembering any more.

[Garden Carpet]

Wild Woman... what is to stop you making a frieze... or some flash cards?
jaki
aka Xanthorhoe fluctuata

[glsammy]

Even though I'm always entering Scientifc Names and checking uploads, I can't remember any myself! Just about got the Mute Swan (Cygnus Olor ) sorted!

[Beryl]

Originally Posted by badgerwatcher

I always try to make pictures to conect the two. It doesn't always work but even sometimes the effort of trying makes me remember. I have a very bad memory.
So if Painted Lady is Cynthia cardui, which I didn't know, so hope I've spelled it right, I'd think of Cynthia Pain with lots of make up on, holding car keys, looking quizical.
A bit obscure maybe, but works for me.

I don't think it's BAD memory but short term memory loss. I form picture too.

[badgerwatcher]

Do you think it's connected with the left handedness and dyslexia, Beryl? I've always wondered about it.

[Wild-Woman]

Originally Posted by glsammy

Even though I'm always entering Scientifc Names and checking uploads, I can't remember any myself! Just about got the Mute Swan (Cygnus Olor ) sorted!

Thank you Graham-you've made me feel better.
Some I can remember are- Aeshna mixta,Anax imperator, Lestes dryas,Erythromma viridulum.
That's a start and you can check my spelling and mark it if you want!

[Oy]

Originally Posted by glsammy

Even though I'm always entering Scientifc Names and checking uploads, I can't remember any myself! Just about got the Mute Swan (Cygnus Olor ) sorted!

Same here!

It's the short ones and those that repeat that I usually remember... Buteo buteo... Pic Pica

I have a whole load of bookmarks I use for checking scientific names when approving photos for the gallery. I can understand people making the odd mistake... but not even attempting to find them when you know the common name is plain lazy. Google knows all

[Beryl]

Originally Posted by badgerwatcher

Do you think it's connected with the left handedness and dyslexia, Beryl? I've always wondered about it.

No. My eldest son is a lefty and he is brill at spelling. he is also right eye dominant and cannot do a thing with his right hand.

[Beryl]

Originally Posted by Oy

Same here!

It's the short ones and those that repeat that I usually remember... Buteo buteo... Pic Pica

I have a whole load of bookmarks I use for checking scientific names when approving photos for the gallery. I can understand people making the odd mistake... but not even attempting to find them when you know the common name is plain lazy. Google knows all

Ha ha . I have booklet with every bird in the RSPB and all the latin names beside each bird. I still manage to jumble the letter though.

[Susie]

Originally Posted by badgerwatcher

I always try to make pictures to conect the two. It doesn't always work but even sometimes the effort of trying makes me remember. I have a very bad memory.
So if Painted Lady is Cynthia cardui, which I didn't know, so hope I've spelled it right, I'd think of Cynthia Pain with lots of make up on, holding car keys, looking quizical.
A bit obscure maybe, but works for me.

"Cynthia" "Car" "Do I?" Bless you, Badgerwatcher, you have made my day. That made me laugh my socks off!

[Paul mabbott]

There are a couple of books which give the meanings of plant names (I have 'Plant Names Simplified: their pronunciation, derivation and meaning' by Johnson & Smith which I bought years ago at Wisley) and I believe there are similar things on the web. However, I don't know of any such thing for animals - shame.
Some of the derivations are fascinating - although I'm not sure how helpful they are in remembering ....

Originally Posted by Wild-Woman

Cheers Paul. I'll at least remember your words!
Be fun if we all had scientific names. (Wait for it!)

[Paul mabbott]

Originally Posted by badgerwatcher

Do you think it's connected with the left handedness and dyslexia, Beryl? I've always wondered about it.

Fairly sure not, it's more to do with getting used to it at an early age - like people who are bilingual. You can learn lots of languages when you're young but find it increasingly hard as you grow up.
My sons are both left-handed but had no problem with remembering (and identifying) Abax parallelepipedus and Nebria brevicollis when they were four or five! They tended to hear the names and see the beetles a lot!

[Wild-Woman]

Originally Posted by Paul mabbott

There are a couple of books which give the meanings of plant names (I have 'Plant Names Simplified: their pronunciation, derivation and meaning' by Johnson & Smith which I bought years ago at Wisley) and I believe there are similar things on the web. However, I don't know of any such thing for animals - shame.
Some of the derivations are fascinating - although I'm not sure how helpful they are in remembering ....

Would it help if I purchased a very good comprehensive Latin dictionary or would that not cover species names?
julie

[aeshna5]

I don't find learning scientific names particularly difficult- possibly because I started very young + I did latin at school for couple of years. As Paul said if you know what the words mean, eg punctata-spotted, it makes it a lot easier.

What exasperates me is that you learn scientific names + for them to change so regularly, so you have to be familiar with the synonyms as well, eg Bluebell has been Scilla, Endymion + currently (as far as I know) Hyacinthoides.

Look in any bird book + except Long-tailed Tit, all the tits are Parus, but recent molecular work now leaves only Great Tit as a Parus; there are now another 4 genera to remember- Lophanes, Poecile, Cyanistes + Paraparus- gnashing of teeth + frustration!!

Similarly a lot of the orchids are also changing names.

[Paul mabbott]

Originally Posted by Wild-Woman

Would it help if I purchased a very good comprehensive Latin dictionary or would that not cover species names?
julie

Perhaps worth trying a cheap secondhand one from Oxfam.

Two problems - you would also need a classical Greek one - about half the names are Greek not Latin - that's why you'll find several names meaning the same thing rhodo- (Greek) and rosa- (Latin) both meaning pink-red. The names aren't always obvious - officinale (-is) means literally 'of the shop' and applies to plants used by herbalists; by implication it has also come to mean the official/approved/original species of a genus.

The other problem is that genus names are commonly derived from people so you'll will need to know something about the history of exploration, collection and taxonomy!

But certainly a dictionary (or two) would help with some descriptives - colours, numbers especially. Have fun!

[Oy]

Originally Posted by Beryl

Ha ha . I have booklet with every bird in the RSPB and all the latin names beside each bird. I still manage to jumble the letter though.

I use the RSPB A-Z

A to Z of UK Birds - The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds

Can't jumble the letters with Copy & Paste