From Library to Landscape
OSGF
The landscape of Oak Spring is humming with activity as we step into the final days of summer. Sounds of cicadas buzzing from the trees, grasshoppers darting in the fields, and butterflies flocking to flowers. Some of these insects leap onto the pages of a rare three volume manuscript which contains original drawings done by Moses Harris for fellow entomologist Dru Drury. Read on to learn more about the partnership between the two and hear from our Ecologist and Collections Specialist, Dr. Rea Manderino.
The field of entomology saw its inception in the ancient world. Insects were outlined in the Chinese herbal, Pen Ts'ao Kang Mu, published first in 1569, during the Ming Dynasty. The notation of insect behavior from the practice of raising silkworms (sericulture) took form even earlier, in the 5th millennium BCE. In Europe, the dominant figure in this origin story was Aristotle who recorded what would later be identified as mayflies emerging from the Black Sea. Early instances in European texts laid a small, rather short foundation that was added onto every now and then with pest management strategies in Roman agricultural texts that drew from the knowledge taken from the Levant. It wasn’t until centuries later when Ruralium Commodorum Libri XII was published that interest in insects took off in earnest. Entomology as a field of study reached its height in Europe during the 18th century. Informed by earlier works, delineations of insects were happening in step with the broader classifications of plants, birds, and mammals. These taxonomic descriptions were central in the professionalization of natural sciences and carried out by early European naturalists and scientists.
Dru Drury b. 1725 - 1803
One scientist to emerge during this heightened time was Dru Dury who is regarded as a founding member of the field of entomology in England. Starting his career as a silversmith, Dury’s life unfolded into a series of iterations: a business owner turned landlord turned entomologist. At the peak of his entomological career Druy published Illustrations of Natural History, regarded now as one of the most important historical works on insects from Europe.
To fill the pages of the three volumes, the art of persuasion was employed by Drury to obtain specimens from European sailors whose colonial voyages to other parts of the globe meant exposure to these “exotic insects”. Drury also corresponded with other traveling scientists (one of note being Sir Joseph Banks), asking them to observe the insects' behaviors and act as his satellite stand-in. He wrote detailed instructions and the collectors were ;in some instances offered “6 pence apiece for ye insects”. Once the specimens were delivered to Drury (in varying states of condition), they eventually made their way onto the pages of his magnum opus thanks to Moses Harris.
“…Insects I must confess do really afford me the greatest pleasure of all animals, and as such I will take the liberty of begging, a favor of you to try to breed some of the Libellas…”
Moses Harris b. 1730 - 1785
In the middle of the night on March 25th, 1748, the neighborhood of Cornhill was engulfed by a devastating fire that swept through west London. One of the many losses was the Swan Tavern, where Moses Harris’s 90 year old uncle met regularly with other members of the Society of Aurelians. It’s likely that a young Harris was imparted with details of the discussions held at the Swan Tavern and sparked an interest as he began collecting insects at age 12. This practice carried with him over the next 20 years and culminated in the publishing of his own entomological books, three total in his lifetime. The most significant of these was The Aurelian, or, natural history of English insects, which Harris wrote, “whose history is known, is particularly considered, and represented in its different states.” It was first published in 1766 and printed in both English and French.
One exception to his bug-eyed obsessions was The Natural System of Colours where he impressively lays out what we all know now an artist's color wheel. The foundational colors crucial to creating any color on this wheel, according to Harris: red, yellow, and blue. He also is the first to illustrate what are now known as complementary colors.
A collaboration
Drury and Harris were born just five years apart but had arguably different backgrounds, so what brought them together? A shared fascination with insects, yes, but their partnership hinged massively on Harris’s talents. This was evident in their first interaction, when Drury generously sponsored Harris’s Aurelian. Each insect was drawn and engraved by hand which put Harris on the map as an English expert on butterflies and moths. Drury responded again by employing Harris to illustrate his Illustrations of Natural History, a decision that, despite Harris’s slow pace, proved to be mutually beneficial. The drawings were completed by Harris in stages beginning in 1768 and are bound together in three volumes, following their order of appearance in Illustrations. They also served as the baseline reference from which later publishing’s would be based on.
The Oak Spring Garden Library is lucky in many respects: to possess these original drawings and to have our very own Entomologist on staff, Dr. Rea Manderino, who poured over every page and broke down several species illustrated by Harris. Read below to learn about a few of the illustrated insects that leave the page and find their way into the Oak Spring landscape.
Imperial Moth
“The Imperial moth (Eacles imperialis) is a member of the giant silk moth family, Saturniidae, but unlike their common name suggests, their subfamily, the Ceratocampinae or the Royal moths, do not make silken cocoons. Rather, when they are ready to pupate, the caterpillar will find a secure substrate, typically under bark or in the leaf litter and soil surface, and spend their winters as a naked pupa in such insulated locations. Imperial moth larvae are covered in fine white hairs, brown when young and green when older, and have a series of little yellow horns along their back. They eat a variety of eastern tree foliage, both hardwoods and softwoods, though populations tend to be regionally specialized on a single genus. The adults, like all giant silk moths, do not intake food; this stage of their life is purely for mating and producing the next generation. They are phototactic and are commonly found at lights. We have a specimen in the biological collections gathered from Rokeby Woods. They do host on oak species, so I have this species as both adult and larva tattooed on my shoulder as part of my Q. rubra sleeve.
Cecropia moth
“A closely related giant silk moth is on page 25: The Cecropia moth (Hyalophora cecropia). A member of the subfamily Saturniinae, Cecropias do spin silken cocoons, climbing shrubs and low trees to build their shelters alongside living twigs and sometimes incorporate mosses and other bits of material within the structure for additional protection. As an adult, they represent the largest of the giant silk moths by wingspan. Their larval stage is a lovely green caterpillar with spiny red, yellow, and blue knobs along their length. They eat many hardwoods, and are often found in edge habitat, adjacent to woodlands. We often find empty cocoons in meadow shrubs, and I found a mating pair in a young willow along Plum Run during the Annual Butterfly Count!
Luna moth
“Another Saturniidae: Saturniidae is the Luna moth on page 30. Actias luna is perhaps the most popular and beloved of the American giant silk moths. Elven green wings accented with berry red is quite alluring, but undoubtedly it is the tails that spark such delight. These gently cork-screwed wing extensions add a depth of grace in appearance (though no one who watches a giant silk moth fly would ever use 'grace' as a description); in reality the tails are adaptations to disrupt bat echo-location! I have not yet seen a Luna on site, but given they are one of the most common giant silk moths, I would not be surprised if we come across one sooner or later.
This blogpost is in association with our latest project which aims to unveil the collections of the Oak Spring Garden Library, making them available to view online. Throughout the course of the year and beyond we will be sharing a selection of these works via the Internet Archive.
Click the links to view the works of Moses Harris: Volume I, Volume II, Volume III
Special thanks to Rea Manderino for her time and insights on this blog post.