In the Middle Ages, people believed that insects were evil, born from mud in a process called spontaneous generation. Maria Merian was only a child, but she disagreed. She watched carefully as caterpillars spun themselves cocoons, which opened to reveal summer birds, or butterflies and moths. Maria studied the whole life cycle of the summer birds, and documented what she learned in vibrant paintings. Interest Level: K-3 Reading Level: 3.3 ATOS Book Level: 3.2 AR Interest Level: LG AR Points: .5 AR Quiz: 144214EN Reading Counts Level: 3.4 Reading Counts Points: 1 Lexile Measure: 710 Lexile Code: AD (Adult Directed).