How I Got Falla (And How She Got Her Name)

It all started with my fifth-grade library teacher.

I had a really good friend, and we used to hang out at the library after school all the time. Our teacher had an adult bearded dragon — I honestly can’t remember its name now, but I remember her. My friend would feed her and pet her, and I thought she was the cutest thing I had ever seen. That was kind of it for me. I was hooked.

The other thing that helped was that my siblings are super allergic to cats and dogs, so a regular pet was never really an option for us. A bearded dragon felt like the perfect answer to that problem.

Around May, we went to a pet store that specialized in reptiles and amphibians. I got to handle a bunch of different bearded dragons that day. Some were cool. Some were fine. But then I picked up one specific one — and I just knew. She was the one. I can’t really explain it better than that. I just knew.

How She Got Her Name

Okay so this part is my favorite.

Falla’s name comes from the Italian word for “female butterfly.” But here’s the thing — I didn’t pick butterfly because Falla is graceful. She is actually quite the opposite. I was just playing around with different Italian words, and farfalla sounded so beautiful to me. I couldn’t stop saying it.

On the car ride home with Falla, my aunt — who speaks Italian fluently — helped me test out a bunch of different translations. We were going back and forth with words, and “butterfly” just popped into my head during our conversation. It felt right immediately. I repeated the word out loud and then just… added “Falla” at the end.

And that’s how our beloved beardie got her name.

Welcome to Beardie With a Blog — Falla’s corner of the internet. There’s a lot more to come. 🦎