Banff Larches Are Going Brown, Not Gold, This Year
A native moth's caterpillars have eaten the gold off many larches between Healy Creek and Lake Louise. The trees should survive. Your larch season photos may not.
Every September, Banff larches have one job: turn gold, briefly, in front of a lot of hikers holding their phones at arm's length. This year, a good number of them have called in sick.
Parks Canada says a native moth called the larch needleworm is stripping larch trees across parts of the park. Its caterpillars eat the needles, which is a problem when the needles are the whole reason you set an alarm for 5 am.
The Stretch Where Banff Larches Took the Worst of It
The hardest-hit area sits between the Sundance and Bow ranges, roughly from Healy Creek to Lake Louise. Anyone who has queued for a larch hike will know the names: Healy Pass, Taylor Lake, and the trails around Moraine Lake and Lake Louise.
Affected trees look reddish-brown, scorched or sparse rather than golden yellow. Parks Canada staff photographed the damage in Larch Valley on September 4, and it is not the view anyone was planning to post.
The Trees Will Be Fine, Your Photos Less So
Parks Canada is the agency monitoring the outbreak, so its view on tree health is the one that counts. "While it may look alarming, the trees are expected to survive," it said.
Staff are still assessing what impacts, if any, the trees will suffer. For hikers, that means the larches should be back, just not necessarily in time for the weekend you booked.
Natural Resources Canada says the caterpillars bind bundles of needles together with silk and feed inside the tubes they make. It adds that the damage usually comes early enough for trees to grow new needles before winter, and that outbreaks tend to be short-lived, which is small comfort to anyone currently standing at Taylor Lake with a thermos.
Should You Still Go?
Parks Canada's notice mentions no trail closures, so the hikes themselves are unchanged. What has changed is the payoff at the top, which may be more rust than gold.
Larches outside the Healy Creek to Lake Louise stretch weren't named among the worst affected, so hikers set on gold may have better luck elsewhere in the park. Check current conditions with Parks Canada before you set off, and adjust expectations accordingly.
Somewhere in Larch Valley, a caterpillar is having the best September of its life.
