New UK moth record at Wicken Fen

December 2006. A moth has been found for the first time in the UK at the National Trust’s Wicken Fen in Cambridgeshire. Moth expert Jeff Higgott discovered the small plume moth, known as Emmelina argoteles, with its tiny 18mm wingspan in 2005 and proved it to be breeding on the nature reserve in 2006. This newly discovered moth is a member of the ‘plume’ moth family and is usually found in mainland Europe. Plume moths have wings consisting of five or more parts each and the moths put the parts over one another, so creating a very small wing.

Stuart Warrington, the National Trust’s Regional Nature Conservation Adviser for the East of England, says, ‘The circumstances of the moth’s presence at Wicken Fen remain unknown but it could have been blown across to Wicken Fen from mainland Europe, moved northwards because of climate change or it might even have been living at Wicken Fen for many years.’

Wicken Fen in Cambridgeshire is one of the most important nature reserves in Britain, as it is one of just four surviving fragments of the once extensive fenland that stretched from Cambridge to the Wash. The National Trust has been looking after Wicken Fen since 1899, when it bought its first 2 acres. In 1999 the National Trust launched its 100 year Wicken Vision to acquire more land for the benefit of wildlife and improve access for visitors.

Because of the close proximity to Cambridge University and as the fen is famous for its rare insects and plants, Wicken Fen has developed into one of the best studied nature reserves in Britain. The reserve is known to support a staggering 7,000 species, which includes 1,800 flies and 1,400 beetles and 1,000 species of moths.