Giant Sphinx Moth

Maria Merian’s habit of bringing caterpillars home so she could observe them metamorphosing into butterflies and moths sometimes backfired.

“She would keep the chrysalises in wooden boxes, constantly checking them all, making notes, dating every stage of development,” Kate reveals. “On one occasion, Merian had been given a box of chrysalises and, in the middle of the night, the box started rattling noisily. She leapt out of bed, opened the box and Giant Sphinx moths flew out!”