FlyinginFordham: Wicken Fen - Field Trip

I was invited to trap at Wicken Fen for a mini blitz of two areas at once, Adventurer's Fen to the South-west of Wicken Fen, and several trappers also around Sedge Fen and visitors area.

I was just to the south of the visitor centre, positioned with 4 traps primed and ready for the arrival of moths.

I did a bit of dusking but there were very few moths that I saw flying, as it was fairly breezy at time. Tapping a few trees and bushes dislodged a couple of specimens to the back of the net, but the night soon closed in and the traps were on.

Two of the traps were a bit exposed and did not fare very well, I opted to close down the actinic trap as it was just full of flies and only a couple of moths seemed interested.

But the 125w clear near the car park area did very well for variety, even better though was the trap that never lets me down, the 250w clear robbo.

Most of the nights moths and species came to this lamp and by the time I packed up at 2am I had amassed an incredible 157 species, for May this was very pleasing indeed.

Highlights included several Dentated Pug, one was pretty fresh and good to see, as all my previous ones have been battered.

15 Poplar Hawk-moth was a nightly record for me.

There were surprises of fresh Clouded Drab & Powdered Quaker, both are my latest ever records, and looked particularly funny flying alongside Elephant Hawk-moths!

There were also a few migrants present including one Delicate and five Small Mottled Willows.

Best moth of the night were two examples of the tiny Vine Moth (Eupoecilia ambiguella) sadly both a bit worn.

A nice selection of moths and good to get together with a few other fellow trappers.

23/05/26 - Wicken Fen - East Cambridgeshire - 1x 125w Clear MV Trap, 1x 250w Clear Robinson Trap, 1x 40w/22w Bucket Trap & 1x 160w MBT Trap

Macro Moths

Alder Moth
Angle Shades
Brimstone Moth
Brindled Pug
Buff-tip
Buff Ermine
Burnished Brass
Chocolate-tip
Cinnabar
Clouded-bordered Brindled
Clouded Border
Clouded Drab
Clouded Silver
Common Carpet
Common Pug
Common Swift
Common Wainscot
Common Marbled Carpet
Common Wave
Common White Wave
Coronet
Coxcomb Prominent
Cream-bordered Green Pea 10
Cream Wave
Dark Arches
Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet
Delicate
Dentated Pug
Dog's Tooth
Dotted Fan-foot
Elephant Hawk-moth
Eyed Hawk-moth
Figure of Eighty
Flame
Flame Shoulder
Flame Wainscot
Garden Carpet
Green Carpet
Green Pug
Grey Pug
Heart & Dart
Iron Prominent
Knot Grass
Large Nutmeg
Large Yellow Underwing
Latticed Heath
Least Black Arches
Leopard Moth
Light Brocade
Lime-speck Pug
Light Emerald
Marbled Minor
Lobster Moth
Marbled White-spot
Miller
Mottled Pug
Mottled Rustic
Orange Footman
Pale Oak Beauty
Pale Prominent
Pale Tussock
Pebble Hook-tip
Pebble Prominent
Peacock Moth
Peppered Moth
Pinion-streaked Snout
Poplar Grey
Poplar Hawk-moth 15
Powdered Quaker
Purple Bar
Puss Moth
Reed Dagger
Reed Leopard
Rustic Shoulder-knot
Sandy Carpet
Satyr Pug
Scorched Wing
Seraphim
Setaceous Hebrew Character
Shuttle-shaped Dart
Silver Barred
Silver Y
Silver-ground Carpet
Silky Wainscot
Small Clouded Brindle
Small Seraphim
Small Mottled Willow 5
Smoky Wainscot
Snout
Spruce Carpet
Straw Dot
Swallow Prominent
Tawny Marbled Minor
Tawny-barred Angle
Treble Lines
Turnip Moth
White Ermine

Micro Moths

Acentria emphemerella
Ancylis mitterbacheriana
Agapeta hamana
Agonopterix purpurea
Anania hortulata
Anania perlucidalis
Aphomia sociella
Brachmia inornatella
Bryotropha affinis
Bryotropha basaltinella
Celypha cespitana
Celypha lacunana
Celypha rosaceana
Chilo phragmitella
Clepsis consimilana
Cochylidia implicitana
Coptoptriche marginea
Coleophora alcyonipennella/frischella
Coleophora amethystinella
Cosmopterix lienigiella
Cosmopterix scribaiella
Crambus lathoniellus
Elachista maculicerusella
Elachista utonella
Endothenia gentianaeana/marginana
Endrosis sarcitrella
Epiphyas postvittana
Epinotia immundana
Ethmia quadrilella
Eucosma cana
Eudonia pallida
Epermenia falciformis
Eupoecilia ambiguella 2
Evergestis forficalis
Evergestis limbata
Glyphipterix thrasonella
Hedya pruniana
Hofmannophila pseudospretella
Monopis weaverella
Neocochylis molliculana
Nemapogon koenigi
Nematopogon metaxella
Notocelia cynosbatella
Notocelia trimaculana
Pandemis cerasana
Paraswammerdamia albicapitella
Phalonidia manniana
Phyllonorycter viminiella
Plutella xylostella
Pseudargyrotoza conwagana
Phtheochroa schreibersiana
Phyllonorycter stettinensis
Pterophorus pentadactyla
Ptycholoma lecheana
Scoparia ambigualis
Scoparia pyralella
Scrobipalpa ocellatella
Syndemis musculana
Tinea trinotella
Tortrix viridana