Cynthia Longfield

1896-1991. Naturalist and traveller, 'Madame Dragonfly', author of Dragonflies (1960 with Philip S. Corbet and N.W. Moore). Daughter of wealthy Anglo-Irish family with estates at Castlemary, Co Cork. Privately educated, self-taught naturalist living close by Natural History Museum where she became lifelong Associate.

Unmarried. One of the great natural history world travellers, starting with 1924 St George expedition to the Pacific Islands, and later talking in Mato Grosso, SE Asia, tropical and South Africa, etc, collecting insects and plants. Member of local fire service during war, helped save museum collections during the Blitz.

Active member of London Natural History Society and Royal Entomological Society; author of the standard Dragonflies of the British Isles (1937). Returned to Ireland after 'retirement' but continued to travel into 1970s. Grandniece wrote a biography, Madame Dragonfly (1991).