Paper Peppered Moths

Create your very own paper peppered moth and find out more about the effects of air pollution on the peppered moth throughout the 19th Century in the Living Worlds Gallery on the first floor at the Manchester Museum.

Peppered moths are normally white with black speckles, perfect for hiding on pale, lichen-covered trees. But during the nineteenth century, coal smoke darkened the trees and killed the lichen making it easier for predators to spot the pale moths. A rare black version of the moth suddenly had the advantage and quickly became the most common type in cities like Manchester.

In Manchester the first peppered moth was recorded in 1848 and by 1895, almost all Peppered Moths in Manchester were black. After the Clean Air Act was introduced in 1956, the air got cleaner, lichen returned, and the white moths started to thrive again.

Visit the Silent Skies exhibition on the second floor to find out what local Community Action Group Ardwick Climate Action have done in relation to air pollution.

Children aged 7+ together with parents and carers.