{"id":3244,"date":"2020-03-24T16:45:48","date_gmt":"2020-03-24T15:45:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/merianin.de\/?page_id=3244"},"modified":"2021-02-15T11:34:21","modified_gmt":"2021-02-15T10:34:21","slug":"schuetzlinge","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/merianin.de\/en\/home\/schuetzlinge\/","title":{"rendered":"Our Prot\u00e9g\u00e9s"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n \n Plants as a Nursery for <\/span>\n \t\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\tBUTTERFLIES & CO. 350 YEARS AGO AND TODAY\t\t\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>
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Maria Sibylla Merian's lifelong research was dedicated to insects in their plant environment, which, time and again, she drew, painted and etched in copper with incredible precision, showing off all their beauty. The fact that the terms \"butterfly\" does not yet exist in her Caterpillar Books also illustrates just how little research had been carried out into her \"little creatures\" at that point. Her \"little creatures\" were still largely nameless.<\/p>\n

Therefore, she uses the names of the host plants as headings to the chapters which describe the insects. In her time these names often still differed from region to region, but botany had already advanced to such an extent that Merian was able to complete her chapter headings with Latin names. In her descriptions, on the other hand, Merian concentrates on her \"summer birds\", which fly during the day, \"moths\", which fly during the night and many other insects.<\/p>\n

When we contrast the present situation to the plants depicted in Merian's images, taking them together with the insects in both text and<\/u> image in her Caterpillar Books, it becomes clear how precarious the habitat of the insects and their \"host plants\" is today.<\/p>\n

In general, for butterflies to settle anywhere at all, they need \"host plants\" on which they can lay their eggs. When the caterpillars have hatched, these become their \"food plants\" on which they pupate. Sometimes they are so voracious that only thin stems remain, but as compensation for this small loss, the new butterflies unfold their wings.<\/p>\n

Many species have specialized.<\/p>\n

Wild hedges, e.g., with sloes, are visited by over 120 butterfly species.<\/p>\n

Some of these \"host and forage plants\" are presented below.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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\n \n Insects with their Plants in Merian's Books <\/span>\n \t\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\tIN COMPARISON WITH OUR OBSERVATIONS TODAY\t\t\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>
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Stinging nettle (Urtica urens, major<\/em>)
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\u201cWhen I acquired the black caterpillar depicted above, no one would have persuaded me to believe that such a beautiful summer bird [= butterfly] should develop out of such a misshapen form). However, since then I have discovered that quite a few unattractive caterpillars have often turned into something quite beautiful. Such completely black caterpillars are found in June in considerable numbers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n

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Illustration and excerpt from the description in the First Caterpillar Book of \u201cMaria Sibylla Gr\u00e4ffin, n\u00e9e Merianin\u201d, coloured copperplate etching no. 26<\/em><\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n

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Stinging nettle (Urtica dioica<\/em>)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Family: Nettle family (Urticaceae<\/em>)<\/p>\n

Flowering time: July to October<\/p>\n

Many butterfly caterpillars feed on the stinging nettle. For the peacock and the small tortoiseshell butterflies it is almost the only forage plant.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n

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\n\t\t\t\"\"<\/a>\n\t\t<\/figure>\n\t<\/div>\n
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Peacock butterfly (Aglais io<\/em>)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Family: Nymphalidae<\/em><\/p>\n

The development (metamorphosis) of the peacock butterfly is also typical for other butterflies. The illustrations above show, from left to right: eggs, caterpillars, pupa and butterfly.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n

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