Vladimir Nabokov

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Latest Discovery

Trans-oceanic Butterflies

Those who have been interested in Nabokov's (accurate) "Nail of Nome" theory of butterfly dispersal from Eurasia to the New World (his case regarding the Blues), might be interested in new evidence, in different group, for a theory he rejected: butterflies crossing the ocean.

The scientific article (by a team co-led by Naomi Pierce of the MCZ) is here; it is open access. The NYT story about the discover is here.

Previous discovery (sunrises and poplars): here

Please send in nuggets of research you are willing to share before finalizing them in peer-reviewed publications, or highlight neglected discoveries of others.

Classics from The Nabokovian

The latest "Classic" is Gene Barabtarlo's "Vanessa Atalanta" from the fall of 1984 (submitted by Priscilla Meyer):

Vanessa Atalanta

In his notes to line 347 of Shade's Pale Fire Prof. Kinbote quotes "the jumble of broken words and meaningless syllables" which is supposed to encode a message from Aunt Maud's spirit (in the "Old Barn" episode). The transcription goes . . . Read more

Previous classic

First Sightings (Lepidoptera)

A silver-spotted skipper (Epargyreus clarus) greeting the editor, Aug. 6, 2024, Blue Ridge Parkway, North Carolina.

skipper close-up

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