Wicken Fen - Field Trip - 14/08/21

My very first trip to Wicken Fen was a real treat.

I was invited by Stephen Thompson to come along to a recording session at the very highly acclaimed nature reserve, that is Wicken Fen, the National Trust's oldest reserve and home to over 9000 species (1200 of those are moths).

We set about spreading our traps out to maximise our catch potential, and it worked extremely well for so late in the moth season, with different traps attracting different species throughout the night.

The moths were quite incredible really, with a huge diversity, I think everyone saw some species that they had never encountered before (Myself included) 

Stephen ran one of his traps all night and went through it in the morning to show visitors a selection of moths that he had trapped. The public were thrilled and in awe of the size and colours of some of the species that live on the Fen.

 

Three species were new for my records. Dentated Pug (Rather worn), Oblique carpet and Sciota adelphella.

A Small Chocolate-tip was found by James and Richard (Having never seen one before), but since I didn't trap one I have to not include it on my list.

 

I left at around 2am, with over an hour's drive ahead of me.

We collectively recorded around 225 species, which must be a record for an August trip that i've been a part of.

 

We plan to do another trip during September on another warm and mild night.

My personal list is below.

 

Catch Report - Wicken Fen - Cambridgeshire - 14/08/21 - 3 traps - 1x 250w Clear MV Robinson Trap, 1x 125w MV Trap & 1x Twin 15w Actinic Trap

 Macro Moth Species and  Micro Moth Species  - 145 Species in total.

Macro Moths

Black Arches
Blood-vein
Bright-line Bright-eye
Brimstone Moth
Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing
Brown-veined Wainscot
Buff-tip
Burnished Brass
Cloaked Minor
Clouded Border
Common Carpet
Common Wainscot
Common Wave
Common White Wave
Copper Underwing
Coronet
Coxcomb Prominent
Cream-bordered Green Pea
Crescent
Dark Spectacle
Dark Umber
Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet
Dentated Pug
Dingy Footman
Dusky Sallow
Fen Wainscot
Flounced Rustic
Garden Tiger
Ghost Moth
Goat Moth
Gold Spot
Grey Dagger sp
Iron Prominent
July Highflyer
Knot Grass
Large Yellow Underwing
Latticed Heath
Least Yellow Underwing
Leopard Moth
Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing
Light Emerald
Lime-speck Pug
Lychnis
Magpie Moth
Maiden's Blush
Maple Pug
Marbled Minor
Nutmeg
Oak Hook-tip
Oblique carpet
Orange Swift
Pale Mottled Willow
Pale Prominent
Peach Blossom
Pebble Hook-tip
Peppered moth
Purple Bar
Reed Leopard
Riband Wave
Rosy Rustic
Ruby Tiger
Sallow Kitten
Scalloped Oak
Shuttle-shaped Dart
Silver Y
Single-dotted Wave
Six-striped Rustic
Small Fan-footed Wave
Small Phoenix
Small Rufous
Small Seraphim
Small Square-spot
Smoky Wainscot
Southern Wainscot
Spectacle
Straw Dot
Tawny Speckled Pug
Tree-lichen Beauty
Turnip Moth
White-point
White-spotted Pug
Wormwood Pug
Yellow Shell
Yellow-barred Brindle
Yellow-tail

Micro Moths

 

Acentria ephemerella
Acleris emargana
Acleris shepherdana
Acrobasis advenella
Adaina microdactyla
Agapeta hamana
Agapeta zoegana
Agonopterix alstromeriana
Agonopterix angelicella
Agonopterix arenella
Agonopterix ocellana
Agonopterix purpurea
Agonopterix subpropinquella f.rhodochrella
Agriphila geniculea
Agriphila selasella
Agriphila straminella
Agriphila tristella
Apotomis betuletana
Archips xylosteana
Argyresthia goedartella
Aspilapteryx tringipennella
Bucculatrix bechsteinella
Calamotropha paludella
Calybites phasianipennella
Cameraria ohridella
Cataclysta lemnata
Celypha lacunana
Chilo phragmitrella
Chrysoteuchia culmella
Cochylis hybridella
Cochylis molliculana
Coleophora alcyonipennella
Crambus perlella
Crassa unitella
Dichrorampha acuminatana
Elachista atricomella
Elachista maculicerusella
Elachista sp TBC
Elachista sp TBC
Elachista utonella
Elophila nymphaeata
Endothenia ericetana
Endothenia gentianaeana marginana
Endothenia quadrimaculana
Epermenia falciformis
Epinotia cinereana TBC
Epinotia nisella
Epinotia ramella
Epiphyas postvittana
Ethmia quadrillella
Eudonia lacustrata
Eudonia mercurella
Eudonia pallida
Eudonia truncicolella
Euzophera pinguis
Evergestis forficalis
Helycystogramma rufescens
Hofmannophila pseudosprestella
Hypatima rhomboidella
Limnaecia phragmitella
Lobesia abscisana
Lyonetia clerkella
Mompha epilobiella
Nymphula nitidulata
Orthotelia sparganella
Pandemis dumetana
Pandemis heperana
Parapoynx stratiotata
Paraswammerdamia albicapitella
Parornix sp
Phycita roborella
Phyllonorycter leucographella
Phyllonorycyer ulmifoliella
Pleuroptya ruralis
Plutella xylostella
Pyrausta aurata
Rhopobota naevana
Sciota adelphella
Scoparia ambigualis
Scoparia subfusca
Scrobipalpa costella
Scrobipalpa ocellatella
Spilonota ocellana
Yponomeuta cag/mal/pad
Yponomeuta evonymella
Yponomeuta rorrella
Ypsolopha horridella
 

125w MV Robinson Trap

Acleris shepherdana

Agonopterix subpropinquella f.rhodochrella

Crescent

Dentated Pug

Garden Tiger

Oblique Carpet

Orthotelia sparganella

Sciota adelphella

Scoparia subfusca