The typical form of the peppered moth (Biston betularia) has light-coloured wings speckled with small dark spots, camouflage well-suited to hiding from predatory birds on the bark of birch trees ...

Unlike their flamboyant butterfly relatives, moths have a reputation for being drab and dull. But research shows that these creatures are shiny and colourful under the right light 1. The wings of ...

AT FIRST sight the peppered moth is a rather unprepossessing creature. Surrounded by its more brightly coloured relatives in a moth collection, drab old Biston betularia scarcely catches the eye.

Running the activity. 1. Variation in one species Use the PowerPoint images of peppered moth specimens to illustrate the range of variation (the differences between individuals) possible within a ...

In her book, Of Moths and Men, Hooper suggests that the (now deceased) scientist involved in these studies may have actually perpetrated an outright fraud in order to "prove" that the rise of the ...

In the early 1950s, British physician and amateur moth-collector Bernard Kettlewell released light and dark peppered moths onto nearby tree trunks and watched as birds ate the less camouflaged ones.

Scientists have also found that many species of moth are more attracted to light in the UV range of the light spectrum. These are lights that appear whitish-blue or whitish-violet to human eyes.