Etymologically speaking, the term flora and fauna was
popularized by Linnaeus in the mid 18th century, and means the
plant and animal life of a particular religion. The words flora
and fauna originate from deity names in the Roman pantheon.
Flora is the goddess of flowering plants, whose feast day was
celebrated at the end of April, and Fauna is a goddess who is
either the daughter, sister, or consort (as Bona Dea) of Faunus,
a sort of analog to the Greek Pan considered be a god of the
woods and wild lands as well as prophecy. From a Pagan
perspective, knowing your flora and fauna is a two-fold
idea–both knowing the plants and animals (among other things) of
your land-base and knowing the Flora and Fauna (whether or not
there is actually a Flora and Fauna in your pantheon) of your
land base as well. Once again, this gets back to the idea of
loving where you live as an active devotion–of spiritual
bioregionalism. Every one of us lives in a unique ecosystem with
a unique history. ” Our individual ecosystem can