Kristen Lindquist
Field Guide
18th-century Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus created the system by which all living things are classified with two Latin names, for genus and species. In his process of naming the underwing moths, he gave them names based on the theme of human relationships. And thus: Catocala amatrix, The Sweetheart. It’s easy enough to imagine that playing Adam and coming up with Latin names for the thousands of known creatures in the world led him to take some shortcuts.
a stolen kiss under the porch light the brush of wings
About the Author
Kristen Lindquist is a frequent book reviewer for Frogpond, among other journals, and coordinator for the Haiku Foundation’s Touchstone Award for Haibun. Her books include island (2023, Red Moon Press) and It Always Comes Back, winner of the 2020 Snapshot Press eChapbook Award. You can read her daily haiku blog at kristenlindquist.com/blog. She lives in Midcoast Maine.