(List and prompt created by Sasha Smith)
Ever wonder what inspired a name like ‘Bird-of-Paradise’ for a flower? Below is a list of interesting common names for plants and animals.
Select one of the names. Do not research the name. Decide whether or not to use it as a plant (flower, mushroom, tree, berry, etcetera) or an animal (fish, bird, insect, butterfly, etcetera). Use the name as a title. Write a poem to describe the plant or animal.
Again, don’t google the names until after the poem!
| Abbott’s booby Angel trumpet Ashy tit Babblers and relatives Bananaquit Black-eyed Susan Blue-of-the-heavens Chuck-will’s-widow Comely shiner Common swift Common miner Dame’s rocket Dapplethroat and allies Destroying angel Devil’s darning needle Empress brilliant | Freckled nightjar False box Fair-maid-of-France Golden buttons Goldenglow Golden whistler Great knot Inaccessible Island rail Jointed rush Little nightjar Little swift Little weaver Little woodstar Masked booby Noisy miner Old World buntings | Pale-bellied mourner Philippine creepers Plain swift Plain nightjar Poor Annie Poor man’s mustard Purple roller Sauce-alone Sociable weaver Southern screamer Snoring rail Snowdrop Spectacled tyrant Star-spotted nightjar Strange weaver Sweet rocket Trailing bittersweet Wandering tattler Water ash Wound rocket |
