Maria Sibylla Merian — Der rupsen begin, voedzel en wonderbaare verandering (1712)

VIII.

Dandelions. Taraxacon Dandelion.

On this wild flower, one finds in April a caterpillar, brown of body; it has at the head two small horns, as it were, of black hair, and on the back five more such tufts standing out, and it is further covered over the body with yellow hair. In the beginning of May, they make an oval cocoon from their own hair and transform into a brown pupa covered with yellow hair, as is shown below. In the end of May, a grayish owlet-moth came out of it, as is depicted above on a leaf.

I X.

Double Morello Blossom. Ceraſa acida, rubra, florens pleno Flowering Acid Red Cherry, double-flowered.

This caterpillar is found on all kinds of fruit trees, but especially on the cherry and Morello trees. When they want to transform, they spin an oval, which is shining like silver and somewhat sturdy like parchment; therein they change their form into a brown pupa, as is depicted on two different leaves. After fourteen days, such a gray-colored owlet-moth comes out of it, as is shown flying above on this branch.

X.

Gooseberry Blossom. Flos Groſſularie, ſativa, ſpinoſa Flower of the cultivated, thorny Gooseberry.

In the month of April, one finds on this small tree a sort of caterpillar, brown of body, black-striped, with white spots; they are very slow in moving. In the month of June, they spin themselves into a dark yellow oval and transform into a brown pupa. In July, a dark yellow owlet-moth comes out of it, whose upper wings each have a white patch, as is depicted in the figure.