Vanessa (butterfly) poem "Cadenus and Vanessa," which is the source of the woman's name Vanessa. In the poem Vanessa is called a "nymph" eleven times, and the genus is closely related to the previously-named genus Nymphalis. Though the name has been suggested to be a variant of "Phanessa", from the name of an Ancient Greek deity, this is unlikely. The name of the deity is actually not "Phanessa" but Phanes. Johan Christian Fabricius, the entomologist who named this genus, normally used the original forms of the names of classical divinities when he created new scientific names. North American species in the genus
Vanessa Abrams Vanessa Abrams Vanessa Abrams is a fictional character in the "Gossip Girl (novel series)". She is portrayed by Jessica Szohr in Gossip Girl. Vanessa was introduced on the first season as a recurring character, but became series regular after a successful run due to the popularity of their character, but left the series at the end of the fourth season. Described as sullen, with a shaved head and black clothing, Vanessa is a budding filmmaker and Constance student on scholarship. Her dream is to one day attend NYU and major in film. Her hippie artist parents live in Vermont but