Bombyx  mori (Carl Linnaeus, 1758)  

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For more than two thousand years the Chinese kept the secret of silk altogether to themselves.

It was the most zealously guarded secret in history.

Korea has had plenty of time to refine its own silk industry, which is one of the world’s largest. Korea was positioned early in the 4000 mile long Silk Road which ran from China to the Mediterranean and eventually Korea learnt the closely guarded secrets of its neighbour — secrets that China would in those days kill to protect! Now we know it is the handiwork of Bombyx mori, the larva of the silk moth.

In modern times, Korea sits alongside countries like Japan and India as secondary producers of silk behind the Chinese powerhouse, but it still plays a key role in Korean culture. Hanbok, the traditional Korean dress, is often wholly or partially made from silk, dyed into striking colours, as I got from HanbokCheon Yulin.