I have been wont to stalk bumble bees and butterflies through fields, but it is much harder (and poor trail ethos) to chase a butterfly across the tundra. I recently hiked above the treeline in the Indian Peaks Wilderness in the Rockies, and I was struck by how many beautiful marked white butterflies I saw dashing and fluttering about the tundra near 11,000 feet. They were flying about everywhere about a foot or maybe two off the ground. I was charmed. I utterly rejoiced when one finally, finally deigned to stop its fly about and rest near the trail and let me take its picture.
When I came home, I was determined to find out the name of this little butterfly and learn more about it. I was doubly charmed when I learned it was the Rocky Mountain Parnassian, or the Parnassius Smintheus and that both of its names referenced Apollo in some way. Knee-deep in Maria Sibylla Merian’s work and having published Erucula, I could not help put write a description of this lovely butterfly with ties to Apollo in Latin. Just in case. I hope you read it and enjoy it. If it finds a use in your classroom, all the better!
Parnassius Smintheus: Ille Papilio Elegans
Nomen huic papilio elegans est Parnassius Smintheus. Hi papiliones in montibus altis in America habitant. In Montibus Saxosis habitant, praesertim in locis altis ubi arbores crescere non iam possunt. Nomen huic loco est tundra aut tesca arctica.Â
Hi papiliones in pratis quoque habitant. Pratum est locum plenum florum et graminum ubi non sunt arbores, sed non est tundra. Pratum non est tam alta quam tundra quia arbores apud prata crescere adhuc possunt. Multa gramina et multi flores in pratis sunt.
De Papilione et Eruca
Hi papiliones elegantes colore albicanti et maculis rubicundis gaudent. In marginibus alarum interiorum color ater et cinereus est. Papilio pilosus est quia pilos longos in dorso habet. Duo antenna habet, et in antennis circuli candidi et atri sunt. Quam adorablis est hic papilio! In tundra, tu saepe multos horum papilionum circumvolantium videre potes!
Erucae sunt tam elegantes quam papiliones, sed multo differunt. Papiliones albicantes sunt, sed erucae atrae sunt. Erucae punctis flavis decorantur et crassissima videntur. Quid tu putas esse pulchriorem: papilionem an erucam?
Papilio albicans maculis rubicundis decorata est. 
Eruca atra maculis flavis decorata est.
Vita Papilionis
Mas papilio ubique circumvolitat ut femininam papilionem inveniat. Mares papiliones per multa prata circumvolitant quia volunt invenire femininam papiliones quae non dum volaverunt. Femininae papiliones ubique non saepissime volitant sed in terra saepe perreptant. Si mas papilio femininam videt, quam celerrime ad femininam volat. Feminina tantum unum marem papilionem accipit. Itaque, mares volunt esse primus mas qui femininam invenit. Spectantes ubique in terra mares semper circumvolitant.
Feminae diu volant ut inveniant optimum locum in quo ova albicantia possint. Ova singula prope plantas quas erucae edent ponunt. In his plantis ova non ponunt. Erucae ex ovis primo anno non emergunt, sed per totam hiemem dormiunt. Sequenti anno, erucae ex ovis emergent et valde edere volent.
Nomen plantae quas erucae edunt est sedum lanceolatum, et flos flavus et parvus est. Sed si erucae ex ovis citius (fortasse mense Martio aut Februario) emergunt et has plantas edunt quia nix non adest, erucae moriuntur. Partibus anni, sedum lanceolatum toxicum est! Aliis partibus anni, erucae has plantas (paulo toxicas) edunt et erucae ipsae toxicae deinde sunt! Predatores nolunt edere eas!
Eruca elegans et punctulis flavis decorata in aureliam fuscam ex flavo aut rubro mutatur. Eruca quoque collegit folia et alia res et adiungit se his rebus telis. In hac tela, aurelia per totam secundam hiemam dormire potest antequam papilio pulcherrimus et elegantissimus ex aurelia prodit.
De Significatione Nominis
Cur nomen papilioni est Parnassius? Quid significat Parnassius? Parnassius est adiectivum, sed verbum est Parnassus. Parnassus est mons in Graecia; non est altissimus mons, sed mons magnus certe est. Parnassus prope Delphos est, itaque, Parnassus erat mons sacer deo Apollini. Musae quoque in monte Parnasso habitabant. Hoc genus papilionum est Parnassius, et nomen speciei est Smintheus. Smintheus nomen antiquum et Graecum deo Apollini erat. Omnia insecta et omnia animalia duo nomina habent, sed nomen huic papilio optimum est quia nomen bis refert deo Apollini!
Estne papilio sacer Apollini quia nomen ei est Parnassius? Quid tu putas? Quid sunt alia sacra deo Apollini? Cur sacra sunt? Quid sacrum tibi est?Â
Mons Parnassus sacer Apollini est. 
Apollo et Musae in Parnasso sunt.
About the Images
Most of these images are not mine, but they are all available for use under various commercial licenses or in the public domain. Please see this list of images for proper attribution.
- The picture of the Rocky Mountains is my own.
- The picture of the meadow is in the public domain through the National Park Service.
- The picture of the butterfly itself is my own.
- The caterpillar was an unchanged image from Bugguide.net and licensed under Creative Commons. Copyright Diane Wilson.
- The sedum lanceolatum was an unchanged image from Wikipedia Commons licensed under Creative Commons, copyright Walter Siegmund.
- The picture of Mount Parnassus was an unchanged image from Wikipedia Commons licensed under Creative Commons. By Electron08.
- The picture of Apollo and the Muses on Parnassus is in the public domain. It is at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
