The Caterpillars' Wonderful Transformation and Strange Floral Food, Pl.081
1679-1683
Maria Sibylla Merian was a scientific rebel who basically invented modern ecology before it was cool. In this detailed study from her famous book on caterpillars, she maps out the entire life cycle of insects on a single leafy plant, showing hungry larvae munching away right next to the adult moth. Back then, people actually thought bugs spontaneously generated from mud, but Merian proved them wrong by watching them grow up in real time. The Roman numeral 'XXX' at the top marks this plate, capturing a world of transformation she was the first to truly document.
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