Industrial Revolution: Peppered Myths

Peppered moths are usually found near London, England. Light colored moths were very common to find. The moths would rest on pale colored lichens. When they rested on them it was harder for birds to see and eat them. During the industrial revolution, however, smoke from the factories killed the lichens. As a result this exposed darker tree bark.. Scientists began to notice that there was increasing numbers of dark-colored moths. This change is called industrial melanism which is a darkening caused by industry. The appearance of the darker colored moths might suggest that the moths evolved to suit their surroundings. There is also more to the story. Both kinds of peppered moths existed before the industrial revolution. At that time there was