1647-1717

German naturalist who devoted her life to the study and painting of insects and flowers. As a child she was fascinated by caterpillars, moths, and butterflies, and made numerous lifelike sketches. In 1679 she published "Wonderful Transformation and Singular Flower-Food of Caterpillars," which won her scientific recognition for its catalog and drawings of almost 200 European butterflies and moths in various stages of metamorphosis. Merian died in Amsterdam in 1717.