catchfly
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of catchfly
1590–1600; from phrase catch ( the ) fly
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
And it threatens rare endemic plants found in rocky scablands, such as Spalding’s catchfly, a federally protected perennial with pale pink, trumpet-shaped flowers.
From Science Magazine ● Aug. 3, 2022
Pilfering ants find death as speedy on the sticky surfaces here as on any catchfly.
From Wild Flowers An Aid to Knowledge of Our Wild Flowers and Their Insect Visitors by Blanchan, Neltje
Then had come brilliant spots and splashes of color on the summer slopes—purple butterwort, golden ragweed, aconite, buttercup, deep crimson mossy patches of saxifrage, rosy heather, catchfly, wild geranium, cinnamon rose.
From Days of the Discoverers by Choate, Florence
Miss Sherbourne, you sent me that catchfly from Hurford.
From A Pair of Schoolgirls A Story of School Days by Brazil, Angela
Like the night-flowering catchfly this blossom has adapted itself to the night-flying moths; but when either remains open in the morning, bumblebees gladly take the leavings in the deep cup.
From Wild Flowers An Aid to Knowledge of Our Wild Flowers and Their Insect Visitors by Blanchan, Neltje
In succession they passed ankle-deep through the spotted silk of soft rose catchflies, through the tufted satin of feathered pinks, and the blue velvet of forget-me-nots, studded with melancholy little eyes.
From Abbe Mouret's Transgression by Zola, Émile
The third week in March is the time to sow sweet peas, poppies, catchflies, and all the hardy annual plants.
From The Cook and Housekeeper's Complete and Universal Dictionary; Including a System of Modern Cookery, in all Its Various Branches, Adapted to the Use of Private Families by Eaton, Mary, fl. 1823-1849
Among these are some kinds of sedges, chickweeds, and catchflies.
From Seed Dispersal by Beal, W. J. (William James)
Day-blooming catchflies have no perfume, nor do they need it; their color and markings are a sufficient guide to the butterflies.
From Wild Flowers An Aid to Knowledge of Our Wild Flowers and Their Insect Visitors by Blanchan, Neltje
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
