CO Plateau nuisance flora/fauna conditions 2023

[fossana]

Expanding our usual cedar gnat status thread.

Dates:
8-11 May

Location
Escalante/Glen Canyon, along rivers, creeks, and benches between 25M Wash and Upper Coyote Gulch

Biting insects
Cedar gnats, biting midges, and mosquitoes are starting to emerge on benches (Escalante escarpment), but still few in number. None encountered along the Escalante. Limited deer flies along creeks.

Poision Ivy
Leaves are out, but avoidable in all areas traveled, including Fools Canyon.

 

[regehr]

last weekend (May 5-7) I was camped along the waterpocket fold near CRNP and there weren't a ton of cedar gnats out, and it was fairly windy, but I still managed to get a decent number of bites. it wasn't even very warm! no other biters to be seen so far.

 

[RyanP]

Anyone know how bad the bugs are right now along the upper Escalante? I'm planning on bringing my family next week to do a little backpacking trip from the town of Escalante to the Hwy 12 Bridge, and am hoping the bugs aren't too bad.

 

[fossana]

Anyone know how bad the bugs are right now along the upper Escalante? I'm planning on bringing my family next week to do a little backpacking trip from the town of Escalante to the Hwy 12 Bridge, and am hoping the bugs aren't too bad.

There are a number of recent reports about heavy mosquitoes around Escalante Natural Bridge. The cedar gnats are bad at home, but we're at a lower elevation.

 

[RyanP]

There are a number of recent reports about heavy mosquitoes around Escalante Natural Bridge. The cedar gnats are bad at home, but we're at a lower elevation.

We got back from our trip. There were no cedar gnats along the upper Escalante or Death Hollow. The mosquitos were annoying in patches near Escalante Natural Bridge, but otherwise weren't bad at all. Poison ivy is heavy in Death Hollow as usual, but we saw basically none along the Escalante. The Escalante was more silty and deep than when we went a few years ago, making travel in the river itself slow and difficult. Crossing it was no problem though (just knee deep or so).