December meme: my icon

[luzula]

baronjanus asked about my icon. I've used the same one since 2007 or so, and it's a Luzula pilosa, or hairy woodrush. I chose it because it was an illustration of my pseudonym, and I chose my pseudonym by browsing through a flora in search of a Latin botanical name that both I liked the sound of, and which was a plant that I liked. I actually like sedges better than woodrushes, but Carex is not a name that I like the sound of. But woodrushes are nice, too--they're unassuming little plants that look kind of like grasses, but are not actually grasses.

In the past, I've also gone by the name of Seseli on the internet (on a political forum none of you are likely to know), which is also a botanical name--it's a genus in the parsley family that I liked the sound of. The Seseli plant is actually quite rare in Sweden, and I've never seen it. But anyway, the Luzula in my icon is one that is quite common and blooms early in the spring in broadleaved forests. I don't know why I don't have multiple icons, like most people do? I guess I don't have the energy for it, and also, I like the continuity of having the same one.

Comments

[baronjanus]

I like knowing why you picked it, and knowing a little more about a plant I didn't know before :)

And re having one icon, if you find a thing that fits perfectly, you don't really need anything else. There's peace in that.

[luzula]

I like it because it's not a flashy plant! It's small and common, but really very beautiful up close.