Maria Merien Metamorphosis

Next on our Plant Lady roster comes Maria Merien from Germany; a entomologist and scientific illustrator

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Previous to Maria's findings, people believed flies were born from garbage.
From raising insects and witnessing silkworms, her observations-turned-illustrations depicted the stages of metamorphosis.
We used plasticene to demonstrate the four stages of butterfly life; egg, caterpillar, chrysalis and adult.

By giving drawing lessons to women of wealthy families, Merien was able to have access to extensive garden and plant life to further her studies.
She published books both about insects and flowers.

In Nature Anatomy, there is a depiction of the butterfly life cycle from four species. It outlines that although the stages are the same, the eggs can be laid singularly or in clusters of up to 100.