I am deeply fascinated by the names of things. The history of common and scientific names are revealing about how early naturalists saw the world and their relationship to it. Embedded in these names are references to archaic uses for species, allusions to Greek mythology, and even misunderstandings about ecological adaptations and evolutionary relationships. Deciphering scientific names helps us understanding this fascinating history. I have translated the scientific and common names of Vermont’s trees and the scientific names of our Vertebrates, and I am currently working on a project to rewrite Greek myths for those mythological figures immortalized in scientific names.