Here Merian shows both the life cycle of a Vine Sphinx Moth (Eumorpha vitis, at top left) and a solitary Satellite Sphinx Moth (Eumorpha satellitia, at lower right). She was interested in the way in which the Vine Sphinx Moth caterpillar contracted when it was threatened, and depicted it both at maximum length (at top) and in a defensive posture (at the bottom)