MARIA SIBYLLA MERIAN

1647 – 1717

Maria Sibylla Merian was a German-born Swiss naturalist and scientific illustrator. She was one of the earliest European naturalists to observe insects directly. Throughout her life, she published several volumes concerning the life cycles of insects containing plates that she had engraved and etched. Her careful observation and documentation was instrumental in changing the prevailing thought in entomology. Most notable was her proof that butterflies metamorphized from a caterpillar. Sadly, her scientific work and beautiful illustrations have not gotten the popular recognition as others such as Audubon who achieved fame less than a hundred years after Merian's death.

Metamorphosis  1705

Cotton rose mallow with a queen swallowtail.