When I photographed this Common Yarrow in the soft morning light last month at Tishomingo National Wildlife Refuge, I found myself thinking about its name.
Blooming Common Yarrow in morning light – Nikon D500, f11, 1/320, ISO 800, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
This yarrow is a beautiful native wildflower with dainty little blossoms and lacy, rich green leaves. It positively glowed in the morning light from the rising sun.
Common yarrow, Achillea millefolium, is a food source for many species of insects, and those insects can become bird food. Like it or not, we humans need insects, and so do birds and other wildlife.
So why was I thinking about the name of this flowering plant?
The “common” name could have been a little less common.
Why not Bountiful Yarrow? Or Copious Yarrow? Or even Luxuriant or Exuberant Yarrow? Surely there were more lovely-sounding common names for this plenteous blooming plant.
As I grow as a person, especially over the last decade, I recognize that words matter. They really and truly matter.
The word “common” can mean uncouth, vulgar, coarse, rough, unsavory, boorish, rude, impolite, ill-mannered, inferior, ill-bred, low-class, common as muck, and a host of other negative words.
Whereas, abundant, bountiful, copious, luxuriant, exuberant, opulent, rich, and prolific could all have been used instead of the word “common” for this plant and many birds and animals.
What were people thinking when they started naming organisms like flora and fauna “common?”
In essence, the word “common” in common names often signifies an organism’s recognizability, abundance, or lack of distinct traits separating it from related species in the perception of the general public. It is a designation meant to convey familiarity and differentiate from rarer or more exceptional organisms.
Yet, doesn’t familiarity breed contempt? Just a few thoughts for the day.
I like the name Luxuriant Yarrow far more than its common, Common Yarrow name.
Life is good.
Mia
Click here to see more of my wildflower, shrub and tree photos.
Words do indeed matter – and I love your renaming.
Another possible: this plant used to be very common, and isn’t anymore. e.g. In a small west coast coastal town a Common Yellowthroat was nesting in a vestigial wetland. It was the only Common Yellowthroat for at least a mile in any direction. Compare that with many pairs that nest in the large wetland/woods in parts of New England– where they are common!
Turns out, some birds, e.g. certain wood warblers, pretty much need others of their species nesting nearby to generate healthy population growth. The Private Lives of Birds by Bridget Stutchbury is about the research in her lab that gives the birdy details! https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/book-review-the-private-lives-of-birds-by-bridget-stutchbury/#
I agree with Ilze B Long. I was thinking of the Common Yellowthroat as well & thought that I see them so seldom that it really should have another name. Common Loon is another misnomer. There is nothing common about the Common Loon. Common Merganser, Common Golden Eye, Common Nighthawk. All NOT common.
Love your musings and wish you were able to rename “common” Yarrow. Of course, you can in your postings, so Luxuriant Yarrow it is.
Indeed, I have thought the word common as applied to plants, animals and birds rather sad because often the common, as in common place, is no longer so common, e.g. Common Yellow Throat. Since I see them so infrequently, I find that the term common is a misnomer to say the least.