is the "Zerene" name of the butterfly related to the use of the word "Zerene" in "Zerene Stacker" software?!
It is, but the connection is not quite as direct as you might think.
When I went looking for a name for my software, I wanted something that was distinctive, personally meaningful, and not too hard to remember and/or pronounce. After much consideration, "Zerene" was the result.
The “smiling dog” image used for the Zerene Stacker icon is in fact the wing pattern of a California Dogface butterfly,
Zerene eurydice.
However, it was a
different butterfly,
Speyeria zerene, that actually provided the name. The
Speyeria's in general have been a big part of my life since elementary school, with
S. zerene more than most. So it was a natural in that respect.
Besides, I've read that the name "Zerene" derives from the Latin word "zerena", meaning parched or dry. That's a good description of the area where I live. I've been told it fits my sense of humor as well.
As a final point, it turns out the name is easily read as rhyming with the English word "serene", which of course is how I want people to feel about using my software versus certain other packages that have to be struggled with. It's true that I've had to become bilingual about the pronunciation, since Latin-trained biologists pronounce the trailing "e" while in standard English it is silent. In the beginning, I spoke the name like the butterflies; now I go with the flow and rhyme it with "serene" as a word.
This is more than you ever wanted to know, I suppose, but hey, you asked!
Len, you're right -- I have enjoyed your post. It's worth mentioning that there is quite a bit of variation in the details of the wing pattern. Most specimens don't look so good when reduced to the size of an icon. The one used in the Zerene Stacker icon happened to retain the "smiling dog" motif even when reduced, so that's what I went with.
--Rik
