Good grief, it’s August already. I’m now two (two!) trip reports behind. Let’s start with the more recent one.

Early last month I did a quick two-day trip up to one of my favourite local BC haunts: Cache Creek.

Friday, July 10th

The first night I set up just south of the town on the road up to McLean Lake. I knew I’d be arriving late and the last thing you want to do is go scouting for new locations right before dark, so I picked somewhere I already knew. I had hoped to pick up my yearly Common Poorwill while setting up the traps that night – I saw and hear them last time I was here, but I guess was a little early. No luck.

I set up three traps halfway up the hill (mountain? Bah, I need a better noun) among the burnt trees, and three more near the top. Historically I found the lower locations to be more productive, but I like to repeat experiments just to be sure.

As before, the lower locations were better. I think it may be time to abandon the upper spots. They had fewer moths and this time were inundated with the chronic Choristoneura menace – always a drag here in BC.

A few highlights:

• Sympistis extremis. Lovely as ever. I’d only seen a single specimen before, the previous July, halfway between Lillooet and Lytton. This morning I encountered six.
• Macaria plumosata. Pleasingly distinctive for a Macaria. Very attractive moth.
• Apamea occidens. Assuming I’m not mis-IDing this, it’s a new Apamea for me – and my 20th for BC. Chunky moth, it had a real heft. In the end I saw seven or eight individuals, varying from this browny-hued colourful chap, to ones with a more monochromatic black-grey palette.
• Hypocoena inquinata (Tufted Sedge Moth). Neat stumpy little chap. They’re vulnerable in BC – only four sightings on iNat.
• Pelochrista morrisoni. I do love a Pelochrista, even if I do have to pore over bugguide every time to remind myself what I’m looking at.
• Pelochrista ridingsana. Gorgeous.
• Sericosema juturnaria (Bordered Fawn moth). This was the first time I saw a net overflow with this species. Must have been dozens and dozens, all localized to that one net, interestingly. Not wildly different habitat between that one and the others I’d set up.

Saturday, July 11th

The second night I ventured further afield, heading east to Kamloops, setting up traps just north of the west side of Kamloops Lake along Sabiston Creek Road. During my daytime exploration of the area I got great views of a pair of Rock Wren and a lone Lark Sparrow, plus an odd raptor I spent a lot of time squinting at, before confidently settling on Raptor sp. Lots of good habitat and more spots worth exploring, plus it was only 30 minutes east of Cache Creek – well within driving distance, I’ll definitely return.

A few more highlights:

• Condica discistraga. Not a new moth – I’ve seen it elsewhere in the province – but I didn’t remember it at all.
• Nemoria unitaria. A new emerald!
• Abagrotis glenni. I need to see more of these to confidently tell them apart from A. mirabilis.
• Hydrelia albifera (Fragile White Carpet). I saw a ton of these last year around Golden BC in a wetter, lusher habitat. Didn’t expect to encounter one here.
• Synchlora bistriaria. And a second new emerald. Poor thing didn’t survive alas, but it was pretty old and beaten up.
• Hypsopygia thymetusalis (Spruce Needleworm moth). Fascinating colouration. These appear to be pretty uncommon – there’s only one other observation in the province on iNat, courtesy of Dave Holden.
• Diarsia dislocata (Dislocated dart). Another great find. I suspected it was Diarsia – they have a distinctive shape – but I didn’t know it.
• Parectopa sp. Wow, wish I’d had my macro lens with me. This was worthy of a much better photo.

Final trip results:

469 observations
157 species

Not bad.