Maria Sibylla Merian
Maria Sibylla Merian (2 April 164713 January 1717) was a German-born naturalist and scientific illustrator, a descendant of the Frankfurt branch of the Swiss Merian family. Merian was one of the first naturalists to observe insects directly.
Maria Ruiz Scaperlanda
She was born in Pinar del Río, Cuba, and grew up in Puerto Rico. She has an M.A. in English from the University of Oklahoma and a Bachelors in Journalism from the University of Texas at Austin. A freelance writer since 1981, she is the author of several books and has been published regularly in numerous national and regional periodicals and newspapers, including "The New York Times," "Catholic Digest", "U.S. Catholic", "Our Sunday Visitor", "The Oklahoman", "'," 'St. Anthony Messenger" and "The Lutheran". She and her husband Michael live in Norman, Oklahoma. They have four adult children. She blogs at "Day by Day with María".