(a species of owlet moth (Noctuid)) Some caterpillars, after they emerge from their egg, can increase their weight by 25,000 times.

Skip to page content

Primary navigation

Tree

A ceiling masterpiece

Witness the extraordinary 47-million-year-old Ida fossil cast on display in the Tree gallery.
Find out more about the Ida fossil cast

Look up at the ceiling of the mezzanine gallery behind the Central Hall and wonder at the magnificent artwork called TREE. The gallery includes Tania Kovats' TREE installation, information about the artist, additional displays and video.

TREE is a 17-metre-long, wafer-thin section of an entire 200-year-old oak tree, including the roots, trunk and branches, inlaid into the gallery ceiling.

The artwork is inspired by Charles Darwin’s iconic tree of life drawing. This was the first sketch Darwin drew to try to explain his ideas of evolution and it was written in a notebook called ‘red transmutation notebook B’.

Tania Kovats' TREE was selected from 9 other shortlisted artists in the Darwin's Canopy project in 2008. The artwork was commissioned to celebrate Darwin's bicentenary in 2009.

Entrance to the gallery is free.

  • The tree-top branches of Tania Kovats ceiling installation
    Tree highlights

    See some of the highlights of the spectacular TREE installation and accompanying displays in our slideshow.

  • The 200-year-old oak tree on the Longleat Estate before it was felled.
    The making of TREE (video)

    Follow landscape artist Tania Kovats on her journey to complete this fantastic art installation project for the Natural History Museum.

Print version