Cora Huidekoper Clarke (February 9, 1851 – April 2, 1916) was an American amateur entomologist, science educator and botanist specializing in

bryophyte The Bryophyta s.l. are a proposed taxonomic division containing three groups of non-vascular land plants ( embryophytes): the liverworts, hornworts and mosses. Bryophyta s.s. consists of the mosses only. They are characteristically limited ...

s. Her chief entomological studies were on galls caused by wasps (

Cynipidae Gall wasps, also incorrectly called gallflies, are hymenopterans of the family Cynipidae in the wasp superfamily Cynipoidea. Their common name comes from the galls they induce on plants for larval development. About 1,300 species of this gener ...

) and flies (

Cecidomyiidae Cecidomyiidae is a family of flies known as gall midges or gall gnats. As the name implies, the larvae of most gall midges feed within plant tissue, creating abnormal plant growths called galls. Cecidomyiidae are very fragile small insects us ...

), which she reared, photographed and documented, with several new species being described from the collections that she made. Cora was born in

Meadville, Pennsylvania Meadville is a city in and the county seat of Crawford County, Pennsylvania. The city is within of Erie and within of Pittsburgh. It was the first permanent settlement in Northwestern Pennsylvania. The population was 13,388 at the 2010 cen ...

to Anna (Huidekoper) and Reverend James Freeman Clarke, a

Unitarian Unitarian or Unitarianism may refer to: Christian and Christian-derived theologies A Unitarian is a follower of, or a member of an organisation that follows, any of several theologies referred to as Unitarianism: * Unitarianism (1565–present ...

minister and anti-slavery activist, who founded Church of the Disciples in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the capital city, state capital and List of municipalities in Massachusetts, most populous city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financ ...

. Her grandfather, Harm Jan Huidekoper, was the founder of the Meadville Theological School. James Freeman Clarke had been educated at the

Harvard Divinity School Harvard Divinity School (HDS) is one of the constituent schools of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school's mission is to educate its students either in the academic study of religion or for leadership roles in religion, go ...

and was noted for his activism towards women's education as well as a coeducation policy at Harvard. The family moved to Boston around 1854 and after the death of her parents, she moved to Mt Vernon Street in Boston where she lived until her death. Due to poor health, she was taught at home until the age of thirteen. She studied at a horticultural school in Newton and at the Bussey Institution in Jamaica Plain, Boston where she was taught by

Francis Parkman Francis Parkman Jr. (September 16, 1823 – November 8, 1893) was an American historian, best known as author of '' The Oregon Trail: Sketches of Prairie and Rocky-Mountain Life'' and his monumental seven-volume ''France and England in North Ame ...

. She taught at Miss Ticknor's Society and founded a Science Club and led a botany group at the New England Women's Club. She was a member of the Cambridge Entomological Club, the Sullivant Moss Society, the Boston Society of Natural History, and a Fellow of the

American Association for the Advancement of Science The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is an American international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsi ...

(elected 1884). Among her scientific contributions were studies on gall insects, especially Cynipidae which she reared and used her photography skills to document. Two new species were dedicated to and named after her by H.F. Bassett. She also studied Cecidomyiid galls and reared many species, some of which were described by E.P. Felt; three named after her. She also made a study of caddis-fly larvae and their cases.

References

External links

Biography at Harvard

Archives at Harvard Library

Archives at University of Michigan
{{DEFAULTSORT:Clarke, Cora Huidekoper American entomologists Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science Women entomologists