Margarita Dawson Stelfox facts for kids

Margarita Dawson Stelfox (born 1886, died 1971) was an important Irish botanist. She was an expert in a special group of tiny organisms called Mycetozoa, also known as slime molds.

Early Life and Education

Margarita Dawson Mitchell was born in 1886 in Lisburn, Ireland. Her parents were Elizabeth and Rev. George P. Mitchell.

She went to the Royal College of Science in Dublin. There, she studied chemistry and graduated in 1908. She was the only woman in her class, which was very unusual for that time.

After college, Margarita taught for a year in Waterford. She then moved to Belfast to work at Victoria College. While teaching part-time, she also studied botany at the new The Queen's University of Belfast. She graduated with honors in 1912 and won the Dunville Studentship award.

Family Life and Work

Margarita joined the Belfast Naturalists' Field Club in 1909. This is where she met Arthur Wilson Stelfox, who was also a naturalist. From 1911 to 1912, they were the club's joint secretaries.

Margarita and Arthur married in 1914. Before their wedding, she was offered a teaching job at Queen's University. However, she turned it down because she was getting married. They had three children, two sons and a daughter. Sadly, one son and their daughter died when they were young.

During World War I, Margarita and Arthur worked as fruit growers in County Down. In 1920, they moved to Dublin. Arthur got a job as an assistant naturalist at the Natural History Museum. Their family home was on Clareville Road in Harold's Cross.

In the early 1920s, Margarita and Arthur wrote a textbook together. It was for primary schools and was called The National Programme of Rural Science or Nature Study.

Discoveries and Research

Margarita was one of the few Irish botanists who focused on Mycetozoa, or slime molds. These are tiny organisms that can look like fungi but move like amoebas.

In October 1925, Margarita and Arthur made an important discovery. They found the rare slime mold Diderma lucidum in Ireland for the first time. They found it near Powerscourt Waterfall.

Later, in 1947, they found another rare alpine slime mold. This one was called Lepidoderma carestianum. They found it in the British Isles at Ben Lawers. However, this specimen was not fully identified until 1965.

Arthur greatly respected Margarita's knowledge. In 1941, he wrote about how she found a type of ant never seen in Ireland before. She found it wrapped in a handkerchief while bringing in laundry. This showed her sharp eye for nature.

Margarita also worked with other botanists. She collaborated with Margaret Williamson Rea. They even co-authored at least one scientific paper together. Specimens collected by Margarita and Margaret are now part of the Stelfox Collection. This collection is kept in the herbarium at the Ulster Museum. Margarita also exchanged letters with another famous botanist, Gulielma Lister.

Later Life

After Arthur retired in 1948, they moved to Newcastle, County Down.

Margarita Stelfox passed away on August 13, 1971, after being ill for several months. Her husband, Arthur, died eight months later.