Pineapple and insects in Maria Sibylla Merian, Metamorphosis insectorum surinamensium (Amsterdam, 1705)
Merian was one of the most prominent German naturalists and scientific illustrators. She traveled to Suriname to study, document, and discover new facts about the region's native plants and insects. The first plate of her book features a pineapple plant with bees and insects circling around it. Although she is not the first naturalist to document this fruit, her image garnered fame, because she provided new insights on how insects affected the health of crops and agriculture in Suriname. (SS)
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