Consuls collect all kinds of things, just like people from all walks of life. I knew of one consul who collected heart-shaped items, and another who had a house-full of cat-objects. But wouldn’t it be funny if there was a consul in the United States who collected consul butterflies.

This beautiful tiger leafwinged species of butterflies is certainly a big part of any serious lepidopterist (that’s the word for a butterfly collector).

The thought that consul is the word for a lot of other things fascinates me. As a student of international and diplomatic law I only knew of it as a title for a person representing one nation in another, in an official consular capacity. Moreover, because there are degrees of these consular positions, they can be one of the following: consul general, consul, or vice consul whereas a consul butterfly is “only” a consul butterfly.

Consul collectors do exist, but not as a title when we want to address a consul.