Mary Murtfeldt facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mary Murtfeldt
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| Born | 6 August 1839  New York City |
| Died | 23 February 1913 (aged 73) |
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| Occupation | Entomologist, lepidopterist, editor, botanical collector |
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Mary Esther Murtfeldt (born August 6, 1839, died February 23, 1913) was an amazing American scientist. She studied insects, which is called entomology, and plants, which is called botany. Mary also collected plants, wrote books, and worked as an editor.
She spent a lot of time researching the lives of insects. She even found and described several new insect species! Mary also wrote many articles about insects. Her collection of plant specimens helped scientists learn more about the plants growing in Missouri.
Contents
Mary's Early Life and Education
Mary Murtfeldt was born in New York City in 1839. Her parents were Esther and Charles W. Murtfeldt. She grew up in Rockford, Illinois. Later, she lived most of her life with her family in Kirkwood, Missouri.
When she was young, Mary became partially paralyzed due to a sickness called polio. This made it hard for her to walk. She was mostly taught at home. However, she did attend Rockford College from 1858 to 1860.
Discovering a Passion for Science
Mary became very interested in insects and plants. A scientist named Charles Valentine Riley helped her with this interest. He was the state entomologist for Missouri and lived with the Murtfeldt family around 1870.
Mary's Career in Entomology
Mary started publishing her scientific papers in 1872. She worked as an assistant to the Missouri State entomologist from 1876 to 1877. After that, she became a field agent for the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Bureau of Entomology. She held this important job from 1880 to 1893.
Later, in 1896, Mary worked for the St Louis Republic newspaper. She became their expert writer on plants and insects. She also edited a magazine called Farm Progress.
Researching Insect Life Cycles
During the 1870s, Mary studied the life cycles of many insects, especially moths. She discovered and described several new species. Her detailed work was used by the Missouri State entomologist, Charles Valentine Riley, in his famous reports.
Mary wrote many important works. Some of her writings helped farmers and gardeners learn about insects. She also wrote a textbook about insects for school children.
Connecting Insects and Plants
Mary also explored how insects and plants interact. She researched how moths help pollinate the Yucca plant. This showed her deep understanding of both entomology and botany.
She collected many plant samples from the St Louis, Missouri area. These specimens were very helpful to Samuel Mills Tracy. He used them when he wrote his book, Flora of Missouri, which describes the plants of the state. Mary was also a member of the Entomological Society of America.
Mary Murtfeldt passed away at her home in Kirkwood on February 23, 1913.
Mary's Published Works
Mary Murtfeldt wrote many scientific papers and books. Here are a few examples:
- 'New species of Tineidae', Canadian Entomologist 13 (1881). This paper described new types of moths.
- Outlines of entomology, 1891. This book was likely an introduction to the study of insects.
- 'Report on Present Status of American Women in Entomology', Proceedings of the National Science Club, 3 (April 1897). In this report, she discussed the role of women in insect science.
- Stories of insect life : second series, summer and autumn, 1900. This book probably shared interesting stories about insects.
