An Adventurers Delight

Photo by Steve Green

This year I wanted to explore some different areas of the Wicken Fen reserve for Moths. Our first Wicken Trip in 2026 was on May 23rd.The team was split across 2 sites, with some (including myself) at Adventurers Fen and some at Sedge Fen/visitor centre. A chance to compare different parts of the reserve with slightly differing habitats. Weather was good but a bit breezy.

Moth-ers present at Adventurers Fen:

Stephen Thompson, Steve Green, Stephen Plummer, Lois Clarke, Sue Fowler

Moth-ers present at Sedge Fen/Visitor Centre

Ben Sale, Seb Bucton, Martin Gray

Photos below show some of the trap locations and sunsets over the reserve:

photo by Steve Green

photos by Ben Sale

photos by Stephen Thompson

My set up with the new gazebo and the 125w MV trap:

photo by Stephen Thompson

Map showing rough trap locations at Adventurers Fen

Map of rough trap locations around Sedge Fen:

Photos of some of the moths from both sites

Moths of Sedge Fen by Ben Sale

Moths of Adventurers Fen by Steve Green

Its not always moths that are attracted to light, this Great Silver Diving (water) Beetle was found by Stephen Plummer's trap at Adventurers Fen. It is rare and red listed in the UK, only found in a few locations. (often seen at Sedge Fen) Check this link for more information:

https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife-explorer/invertebrates/beetles/great-silver-water-beetle

photo by Steve Green

Moth of the night came to Stephen Plummer's trap which was set up near the bridge. A moth I had never seen before, It was the splendid Tawny Wave. It is confined as a breeding species to East Anglia, check this link for more info: https://www.ukmoths.org.uk/species/scopula-rubiginata/distribution-map/

photo by Steve Green

photos from Adventurers Fen by Stephen Thompson

We had permission to stay overnight at Adventurers Fen so we could keep some of the traps going all night. Enabling us to hold a demo later in the morning opening up the traps for the public, finding a few more that we hadn't seen during the night.

I awoke on the sunday morning to a beautiful sunrise over the surrounding fields:

Some misty morning photos over the fen:

It was a good night at both sites, Sedge Fen faired better with 174 species and Adventurers Fen recorded 110. The main difference being many more micro moths at Sedge Fen.

The combined total from both sites (listed below) was 205 species:

Alder Moth	Acentria ephemerella
Angle Shades	Adaina microdactyla
Blood Vein	Agapeta hamana
Bright-line Brown-eye	Agapeta zoegana
Brimstone	Agonopterix purpurea
Brindled Pug	Anania hortulata
Brown-line Bright-eye	Anania perlucidalis
Buff Ermine	Ancylis apicella
Buff-tip	Ancylis diminutana
Burnished Brass	Ancylis mitterbacheriana
Chocolate Tip	Aphomia sociella
Cinnabar	Aproaerema anthyllidella
Clouded Border	Blastobasis lacticolella.
Clouded Drab	Brachmia inornatella
Clouded Silver	Bryotropha affinis
Clouded-bordered Brindle	Bryotropha basaltinella
Common Carpet	Cataclysta lemnata
Common Marbled Carpet	Celypha cespitana
Common Pug	Celypha lacunana
Common Swift	Celypha rosaceana
Common Wainscot	Chilo phragmitella
Common Wave	Chrysteuchia culmella
Common White Wave	Clepsis consimilana
Coronet	Clepsis spectrana
Coxcomb Prominent	Cochylichroa atricapitana
Cream Wave	Cochylidia implicitana
Cream-bordered Green Pea	Cochylis molliculana
Dark Arches	Coleophera caespititiella (gendet MG)
Dark Barred Twin Spot Carpet	Coleophora alcyonipennella/frischella
Delicate	Coleophora amethystinella
Dentated Pug	Coptoptriche marginea
Dog's Tooth	Cosmopterix lienigiella
Dotted Fan-foot	Cosmopterix scribaiella
Drinker (cat)	Crambus lathionellus
Elephant Hawk-moth	Earias clorana
European Corn Borer	Elachista atricomella.
Eyed Hawk-moth	Elachista maculicerusella
Figure of Eighty	Elachista utonella
Flame	Endothenia gentianaeana/marginana
Flame Carpet	Endrosis sarcitrella
Flame Shoulder	Epermenia falciformis
Flame Wainscot	Epinotia immundana
Garden Carpet	Epinotia subocellana
Gold Spot	Epiphyas postvittana
Green Carpet	Ethmia quadrilella
Green Pug	Eucosma cana
Grey Pine Carpet	Eudonia angustea
Grey Pug	Eudonia pallida
Grey/Dark Dagger	Eupoecilia ambiguella
Heart & Dart	Evergestis forficalis
Iron Prominent	Evergestis limbata
Large Nutmeg	Glyphipterix thrasonella
Large Twin-spot Carpet	Hedya nubiferana
Latticed Heath	Hedya pruniana
Least Black Arches	Hofmannophila pseudospretella
Leopard Moth	Metzneria lappella
Light Arches	Mompha subbistrigella
Light Brocade	Monopis crocicapitella
Light Emerald	Monopis weaverella
Lime Speck Pug	Nascia cilialis
Lobster Moth	Nemapogon koenigi
Marbled Minor agg	Nematopogon metaxella
Marbled White-spot	Nemophora degeerella
Middle Barred Minor	Neocochylis molliculana
Miller	Nomophila noctuella
Mottled Pug	Notocelia cynosbatella
Muslin	Notocelia trimaculana
Oblique Carpet	Notocelia uddmanniana
Orange Footman	Pandemis cerasana
Pale Oak Beauty	Parapoynx stratiotata
Pale Prominent	Paraswammerdamia albicapitella
Pale Tussock	Phalonidia manniana Gendet by SB
Peacock Moth	Phtheochroa rugosana
Pebble Hook-tip	Phtheochroa schreibersiana
Pebble Prominent.	Phyllonorycter stettinensis
Peppered Moth	Phyllonorycter viminiella
Pinion-streaked Snout	Platyedra subcinerea
Poplar Grey	Platyptilia gonodactyla
Poplar Hawk-moth.	Plutella xylostella
Powdered Quaker	Pseudargyrotoza conwagana
Purple Bar	Pterophorus pentadactyla
Puss Moth	Ptycholoma lecheana
Reed Dagger	Scoparia ambigualis
Reed Leopard	Scoparia pyralella
Rustic Shoulder-knot	Scrobipalpa ocellatella
Sandy Carpet	Syndemis musculana
Satin Wave	Tinea trinotella
Satyr Pug	Tortrix viridana
Scarce Footman (cat)
Scorched Wing
Seraphim
Setaceous Hebrew Character
Sharp-angled Carpet
Shuttle-shaped Dart
Silky Wainscot
Silver Barred
Silver Ground Carpet
Silver Y
Small Clouded Brindle
Small Mottled Willow
Small Seraphim
Smoky Wainscot
Snout
Spectacle
Spruce Carpet
Straw Dot
Swallow Prominent
Tawny Marbled Minor
Tawny Wave.
Tawny-barred Angle
Treble Brown Spot
Treble Lines
Turnip
Vine's Rustic
White Ermine
White Point.
Willow Beauty

Our next visit to Wicken will be Sat 8th August where there will be more of us and more traps and again split across the 2 sites. with a public demo at each site on sunday 9th.

Please join us if you can for this mega moth night, or keep an eye out for the next blog and a report on the night.

Below are flyers advertising the 2 meet the moth events in August

Meet the Moths sedge fen august 2026.docx

Download DOCX • 1.62MB

Meet the Moths Adventurers Fen august 2026.docx

Download DOCX • 1.44MB

See you all soon & Happy Mothing.