Wicken Fen

Wicken Fen is a wetland nature reserve situated near the village of Wicken, Cambridgeshire, England. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (3008x2000, 1468 KB) Wicken Fen showning one of the many hides on the fen. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (3008x2000, 1468 KB) Wicken Fen showning one of the many hides on the fen. ... A subtropical wetland in Florida, USA, with an endangered American Crocodile. ... Wicken is a small village on the edge of the fens near Soham in East Cambridgeshire. ... Cambridgeshire (abbreviated Cambs) is a county in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west. ... Motto (French) God and my right Anthem God Save the King (Queen) England() – on the European continent() – in the United Kingdom() Capital (and largest city) London (de facto) Official languages English (de facto) Government Constitutional monarchy  -  Queen Queen Elizabeth II  -  Prime Minister Tony Blair MP Unification  -  by Athelstan 967  Area...

It is one of Britain's oldest nature reserves, and was the first reserve acquired by the National Trust, in 1899. The reserve includes fenland, farmland, marsh and reedbeds. Wicken Fen is one of only four wild fens which still survive in the enormous Great Fen Basin area of East Anglia: 99.9% of the former fens have now been replaced by arable cultivation. The standard of the National Trust The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as The National Trust, is a British preservation organization. ... Year 1899 (MDCCCXCIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar). ... The Fens, also known as the Fenland, consist of an area of former wetlands in the eastern part of England, stretching around the coast of The Wash from Lincolnshire to Norfolk and reaching into the historic counties of Cambridgeshire, Huntingdonshire, Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Northamptonshire and Suffolk. ... Farmland can have several meanings: See: Farm for a general discussion of farming Farmland, Indiana, a town in the United States Farmland (cooperative), an agricultural cooperative This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Freshwater marsh in Florida In geography, a marsh is a type of wetland, featuring grasses, rushes, reeds, typhas, sedges, cat tails, and other herbaceous plants (possibly with low-growing woody plants) in a context of shallow water. ... A reedbed in summer Reedbeds are basically ’temporary’ habitats. ... Norfolk and Suffolk, the core area of East Anglia. ... A fen is a sere, a phase in the natural ecological succession from the open water of a lake to (for example) woodland. ... In geography, arable land is a form of agricultural land use, meaning land that can be (and is) used for growing crops. ...

Wildlife

Naturalists were originally drawn to Wicken because of its species richness and the presence of rarities. The Fen has therefore received a great deal of recording effort and huge species lists have accumulated. Many nationally rare species have been recorded. Indeed, in 1998 over 20 species new to the Fen were recorded for the first time and in 2005 another 10 were added. Many of these lists can be downloaded from the fen website (see below). It was established as a nature reserve because of its invertebrate and plant interest. Nearly 7,000 species have so far been identified on the fen, including more than 121 that are included in the Red Data Book of rare invertebrates. Invertebrate is a term that describes any animal without a spinal column. ...

Invertebrates

The reserve supports large numbers of fly, snail, spider and beetle species. Damselflies found here include the emerald, azure and common blue; together with dragonflies such as the southern and brown hawkers, emperor, hairy dragonfly and black-tailed skimmer. The Lepidoptera fauna is very rich also, especially the moths. The nationally rare reed leopard moth is common at the site. Other local moths include cream-bordered green pea, yellow-legged clearwing and emperor. China-mark moths such as the small, brown and ringed are also seen here. Local butterflies include the green hairstreak, brown argus, speckled wood and brimstone. Binomial name Aeshna cyanea (Muller, 1764) The Southern Hawker (Aeshna cyanea), known as the Blue Darner in the Western Hemisphere, is a 70 mm long species of hawker dragonfly. ... Binomial name Aeshna grandis (Linné, 1758) The Brown Hawker (Aeshna grandis) is one of the larger species of hawker dragonflies. ... Binomial name Anax imperator Leach, 1815 The Emperor Dragonfly, Anax imperator, is a large and powerful species of European hawker dragonfly. ... Binomial name Brachytron pratense The Hairy Dragonfly (Brachytron pratense) is a European dragonfly of the family Aeshnidae. ... Binomial name Orthetrum cancellatum (Linnaeus, 1758) The Black-tailed Skimmer, Orthetrum cancellatum, is a European dragonfly. ... Binomial name Pavonia pavonia Linnaeus, 1758 The Emperor Moth (Pavonia pavonia) is a moth of the family Saturniidae. ... Binomial name Callophrys rubi (Linnaeus, 1758) The Green Hairstreak (Callophrys rubi) is a butterfly in the family Lycaenidae. ... Binomial name Aricia agestis (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775) The Brown Argus (Aricia agestis) is a butterfly in the family Lycaenidae. ... Binomial name Pararge aegeria (Linnaeus, 1758) The Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria) is a butterfly found in and on the borders of woodlands throughout much of Europe. ... Binomial name Gonepteryx rhamni (Linnaeus, 1758) The Brimstone (Gonepteryx rhamni) is a mid-sized butterfly. ...

Plants

Notable plants include fen ragwort, fen violet, sedge Cladium mariscus, and milk parsley. There are also a number of stonewort species present in the ditches and ponds. Binomial name Viola persicifolia Schreber Fen violet Viola persicifolia (syn. ...

Birds

A reed warbler at Wicken Fen

The site is mainly noted for its plants and invertebrates, but many birds also can be seen, and these are particularly popular with visitors as they are often easier to observe than the more elusive insects and plants. Bird species recorded living at the site include great crested grebe, cormorant, gadwall, teal, sparrowhawk, water rail, kingfisher, snipe, woodcock, great spotted and green woodpeckers; and barn, little, tawny, long-eared and short-eared owls. Visiting birds include bittern, whooper swan, golden plover, garganey, pochard, goosander, marsh harrier, hen harrier, merlin and hobby. In season, it is most unlikely that visitors will fail to hear the 'drumming' of snipe. Download high resolution version (900x600, 104 KB)A picture of a reedwarbler, taken at Wicken Fen, Cambridgeshire, UK, by the author on 20040814. ... Download high resolution version (900x600, 104 KB)A picture of a reedwarbler, taken at Wicken Fen, Cambridgeshire, UK, by the author on 20040814. ... Binomial name Acrocephalus scirpaceus (Hermann, 1804) The Eurasian Reed Warbler, or just Reed Warbler, Acrocephalus scirpaceus, is an Old World warbler in the genus Acrocephalus. ... Binomial name Podiceps cristatus (Linnaeus, 1758) The Great Crested Grebe, Podiceps cristatus, is a member of the grebe family of water birds. ... Binomial name Phalacrocorax carbo Linnaeus, 1758 The Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo) is a widespread member of the cormorant family of seabirds. ... Binomial name Anas strepera Linnaeus, 1758 Subspecies (Common Gadwall) (Washington Island Gadwall) - extinct The Gadwall (Anas strepera) is a common and widespread duck which breeds in the northern areas of Europe and Asia and central North America. ... Binomial name Anas crecca Linnaeus, 1758 The Common Teal or Teal (Anas crecca) is a common and widespread duck which breeds in the northernmost areas of Europe and Asia. ... Binomial name Accipiter nisus (Linnaeus, 1758) The Sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus) is a small bird of prey in the family Accipitridae which also includes many other diurnal raptors such as eagles, buzzards and harriers. ... Binomial name Rallus aquaticus Linnaeus, 1758 The Water Rail (Rallus aquaticus) is a small wetland bird of the rail family. ... Binomial name Alcedo atthis (Linnaeus, 1758) The European Kingfisher or Common Kingfisher, Alcedo atthis, is widely distributed in Europe, Africa, and Asia. ... Binomial name Gallinago gallinago Linnaeus, 1758 Subspecies The Common Snipe (Gallinago gallinago) is a small, stocky shorebird. ... Binomial name Scolopax rusticola (Linnaeus, 1758) The Eurasian Woodcock, Scolopax rusticola is a medium-small wader. ... Binomial name Dendrocopos major (Linnaeus, 1758) The Great Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos major) is a member of the woodpecker family, Picidae. ... Binomial name Picus viridis Linnaeus, 1758 The Green Woodpecker (Picus viridis, sometimes called Yaffle) is a member of the woodpecker family Picidae. ... Binomial name Tyto alba (Scopoli, 1769) Synonyms Strix alba Scopoli, 1769 Lechusa stirtoni Miller, 1956 The Barn Owl (Tyto alba) or, to distinguish it from relatives, Common Barn Owl, is an owl in the barn owl family Tytonidae. ... Binomial name Athene noctua (Scopoli, 1769) The Little Owl (Athene noctua) is a species of owl resident in much of temperate Europe. ... Binomial name Strix aluco Linnaeus, 1758 The Tawny Owl (Strix aluco) is a species of owl resident in much of Europe and southern Russia. ... Binomial name Asio otus (Linnaeus, 1758) The Long-eared Owl (Asio otus) is a species of owl which breeds in Europe, Asia, and North America. ... Binomial name Asio flammeus (Pontoppidan, 1763) The Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus) is a species of typical owl (family Strigidae). ... Binomial name Botaurus stellaris (Linnaeus, 1758) The Great Bittern (Botaurus stellaris) is a wading bird of the heron family Ardeidae. ... Binomial name Cygnus cygnus (Linnaeus, 1758) Whooper Swan (Cygnus cygnus) is a large Northern Hemisphere swan. ... Binomial name Pluvialis apricaria (Linnaeus, 1758) The Eurasian Golden Plover, Pluvialis apricaria, is a largish plover. ... Binomial name Anas querquedula Linnaeus, 1758 The Garganey, Anas querquedula is a small dabbling duck. ... Binomial name Aythya ferina (Linnaeus, 1758) The Pochard (Aythya ferina) is a medium-sized diving duck. ... Binomial name Mergus merganser Linnaeus, 1758 The North American Common Merganser (Mergus merganser), or Goosander in Europe, is a large sea duck, which is distributed over Europe, North Asia and North America. ... Binomial name Circus aeruginosus Linnaeus 1758 Circus spilonotus Kaup, 1847 Circus approximans Peale, 1848 The marsh harriers are birds of prey of the harrier subfamily. ... Binomial name Circus cyaneus (Linnaeus, 1766) The Hen Harrier (Circus cyaneus) is a bird of prey of the harrier family. ... Merlin is best known as the wizard featured in Arthurian legend. ... Binomial name Falco subbuteo Linnaeus, 1758 The Eurasian Hobby (Falco subbuteo), or just simply Hobby, is a medium-sized falcon. ...

Habitats

Wicken Lode

Wicken Fen is divided by a man-made watercourse called "Wicken Lode". The area north of Wicken Lode, together with a small area known as Wicken Poors' Fen, forms the designated National Nature Reserve of 269 hectares. These areas contain original peat fen with communities of carr and sedge. They support rare and uncommon fenland plants such as marsh pea, Cambridge milk parsley, fen violet and marsh fern. This part of the Fen can be enjoyed from a series of boardwalks. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1632x1232, 674 KB) The Lode or river at Wicken Fen National Nature Reserve, Cambridgeshire, England. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1632x1232, 674 KB) The Lode or river at Wicken Fen National Nature Reserve, Cambridgeshire, England. ... National Nature Reserve is a United Kingdom government conservation designation for a nature reserve of national significance. ... Peat in Lewis, Scotland Peat is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation matter. ... A carr is a north European wetland, a fen overgrown with trees. ... Genera See text The family Cyperaceae, or the Sedge family, is a taxon of monocot flowering plants that superficially resemble grasses or rushes. ...

The area south of the Lode is called "Adventurers' Fen" and consists of rough pasture, reedbed and pools.

The dykes, abandoned clay pits and other watercourses carry a great wealth of aquatic plants, many of which are uncommon elsewhere.

Management

Although it is often described as a natural wilderness, it is neither—humans have been closely involved in the fen for centuries and the reserve is managed intensively to protect and maintain the delicate balance of species which has built up over the years. Much of the management tries to recreate the old systems of fen working which persisted for hundreds of years, allowing species to become dependent on the practices. For example the Sedge plant, Cladium mariscus, is harvested every year and sold for thatching roofs. The first recorded sedge harvest at Wicken was in 1414. Ever since then, sedge has been regularly cut. This has allowed a pattern of plants and animals to build up who depend on regular clearance of the sedge to survive. Many plants and animals are dependent upon regular management of vegetation in this way to keep their habitats going. Konik Ponies and Highland cattle have now been introduced to parts of the fen to prevent scrub from regrowing as a part of the management plan. Crops have been harvested by hand throughout most of human history. ... // Events Council of Constance begins. ... The konik is a small Polish horse, a kind of wild pony. ... Highland Bull Highland cattle a. ...

The present appearance of Wicken Fen is the result of centuries of management by human beings. Many of the practices now undertaken have changed little since medieval times. In surrounding areas, the landscape has changed so completely that it is almost impossible to imagine how it must once have all looked. Only a very few places survive where it is possible to experience this primitive landscape first hand—Wicken Fen is one of these. The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times. ...

Enlargement of the reserve

The windpump

On May 1, 1899 the National Trust purchased two acres (8094 m²) for £10. The National Trust has been purchasing land as it becomes available for over a century. As of 2006 the reserve is over 6.66 square kilometres (666 hectares). In 2001 a major acquisition was made with the purchase of Burwell Fen Farm (1.65 km²). In 2005, a 100ha turf farm, to be called Tubney Fen, was purchased. The National Trust proposes to continue this process and acquire up to 37 km² of farmland to the south of Wicken Fen over the next 100 years, thus extending the wetland, for wildlife and people. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1232x1632, 449 KB) The windpump at Wicken Fen National Nature Reserve, Cambridgeshire, England, May 2004 Source: Taken by Naturenet File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Wicken Fen... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1232x1632, 449 KB) The windpump at Wicken Fen National Nature Reserve, Cambridgeshire, England, May 2004 Source: Taken by Naturenet File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Wicken Fen... May 1 is the 121st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (122nd in leap years). ... Year 1899 (MDCCCXCIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar). ... 2006 is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Science

The Fen has been long associated with natural history. Charles Darwin collected beetles on the Fen in the 1820s, and from the 1920s onwards the fathers of modern ecology and conservation, the Cambridge botanists Sir Harry Godwin and Sir Arthur Tansley carried out their pioneering work on the reserve. One of the world's longest running science experiments, the Godwin Plots, continues at the Fen to this day. The Fen’s long association with science, especially nearby Cambridge University, continues to the present day with scientists actively involved in the management of the reserve, and many hundreds of research papers published about the fen over more than a century. A Bibliography can be downloaded from the Wicken website and the latest Newsletter. http://www.wicken.org.uk/research.htm For other people of the same surname, and places and things named after Charles Darwin, see Darwin. ... Suborders Adephaga Archostemata Myxophaga Polyphaga See subgroups of the order Coleoptera Beetles are the most diverse group of insects. ... Nationalistic independence helped reshape the world during this decade: Greece gains independence from the Ottoman Empire in the Greek War of Independence (1821-1827). ... Ernst Haeckel coined the term oekologie in 1866. ... Some conservation ecologists have been concerned about the Amazon rainforest. ... Pinguicula grandiflora Botany is the scientific study of plantlife. ... Professor Sir Harry Godwin FRS, (9 May 1901 - 12 August 1985) was a prominent English botanist and ecologist of the 20th century. ... Sir Arthur George Tansley (1871 - 1955) was an English botanist who was a pioneer in the science of plant ecology. ... This is the plot which is never cut This plot is cut every three years This plot is cut annually The Godwin Plots are one of the worlds longest running science experiments. ... The University of Cambridge (usually abbreviated as Cantab. ...

Legends

At nearby Spinney Abbey Farm once stood an old priory. Local tales tell how monks can still be heard chanting in the still of the night, and that their ghosts have been seen. Strange lights are reputed to be visible, which could be either ghostly or just natural Will o' the wisp. These lights can be seen wandering from the farm to Spinney Bank, which is a bank now between Spinney Abbey and Wicken Fen. The most well-known legend is of the phantom black dog, sometimes known as Old Shuck or Black Shuck. This legend is a common one across East Anglia and is applied to many locations. The dog is said to have eyes the size of bike lamps and it is also said that, if anyone is unfortunate enough to meet the demonic dog and happens to look into its red/orange eyes, that are described as "burning like fire", then their death will soon follow. The new house at Spinney Abbey, 2004 Spinney Abbey, also formerly known as Spinney Priory, is a house and farm on the site of a former monastic foundation close to the village of Wicken, on the edge of the fens in Cambridgeshire, England. ... Will o the Wisp (reenacted) The will o the wisp or ignis fatuus, or in plural form as ignes fatui (fools fire(s)) refers to the ghostly lights sometimes seen at night or twilight that hover over damp ground in still air — often over bogs. ... Black Shuck is the name given to a ghostly black dog which is said to roam the Norfolk and Suffolk coastline. ...

The Fen is thought to be the resting place of PC Richard Peake, a nineteenth-century policeman who disappeared on 18 August 1855, aged 24. He went missing from his beat at Wicken in the early hours in suspicious circumstances, having earlier been involved in a disturbance. It was suspected he was murdered by a local gang and hidden on the Fen, but his body was never found[1].

Facilities

The Fen is open to the public. The site is open all year round from dawn to dusk except for Christmas Day. Some paths are closed in very wet weather, and some areas are inaccessible. There are hides and trails for visitors to follow. There is a visitor centre and café. The visitor centre has a permanent exhibition of information about Wicken Fen, its history and ecological importance. Joseph and Mary with baby Jesus, at the first Christmas Christmas (literally, the Mass of Christ) is a holiday in the Christian calendar, usually observed on December 25, which celebrates the birth of Jesus. ... Coffeehouse in Damascus A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or café shares some of the characteristics of a bar, and some of the characteristics of a restaurant. ...

References

• Friday, L.E., ed. (1997). Wicken Fen: the making of a wetland nature reserve. Harley Books, Colchester.
• Friday, L.E., Harley, B. (2000). Checklist of the Flora and Fauna of Wicken Fen. Harley Books, Colchester.
• Spinney Abbey website

External links

• Wicken Fen National Nature Reserve information at the National Trust
• Wicken Fen website
• DEFRA page on enlarging the reserve
• Article on Wicken Fen Haunting.