María's combination of science (as a naturalist) and art was outstanding. She went to study insect metamorphosis--an unheard-of journey for any naturalist at that time, much less for a woman.

When she returned she produced a book that secured her reputation, only to have it savaged in the 19th century by scientists who disdained the work of "amateurs." Chrysalis not only showcases yet another case like that of Mileva Maric in ¨ Wings of the Butterfly¨ , but also how art was linked early on, to a new branch of biology.

Wings found out about María Sibylla Merian through a call by Edie Hartshorne who listened to a KQED community radio show in San Francisco with Kim Todd in February, 2007 while Guadalupe and María were doing their Artistic Residency in Provincetown .