Keep Bugs Away From Your Campsite With The Help Of A Feathery Plant

Anyone who has gone camping has experienced the duality between the awe and beauty of nature and the seemingly insurmountable stress of dealing with mosquitoes, flies, and other pests. Even in some of the most beautiful campsites in the United States, the incessant buzz of insects can make just setting up a tent a torturous task. But a widespread shrub may be your saving grace, as you can repel these insects by adding it to your campfire.

Native to wetlands across the southern, northeastern, and central United States, dog fennel (Eupatorium capillifolium) is a rapid-growing, abundant weed that most likely is close to your campsite, if you're in USDA zones 3 through 10. Starting a small, responsibly safe campfire is common when setting up camp, not only for comfort but also as a natural bug repellent. While smoke from burning logs does have some effect at warding off bugs, adding dog fennel (or dogfennel) will significantly improve your campfire-as-repellent. By simply adding this plant to your already burning wood, the smoke the plant produces wards off mosquitoes and flies much more effectively than your regular fire. 

Dog fennel can also be crushed and spread on the skin as an insect repellent, or mixed into a spray. it can prove to be a lifesaver if you forget to pack any vinegar to use as an eco-friendly insect repellent. Already got bites? Crushing and rubbing the plant on your skin will help reduce itching and swelling.

Dog fennel is extremely common and aggressive perennial, found in wet and disturbed soils across the U.S., particularly along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, and farther south into Texas. The nature of this plant leads some to consider it invasive, as it grows at an incredibly fast rate. While found widely throughout the eastern half of the U.S., it is hard for the untrained eye to identify this member of the Aster family. The small woody shrub can be misidentified as an immature cedar tree (and some people call it weeping cedar or summer cedar), with hair-like needles rather than leaves. The thick, hairy stems grow from a single crown. Dog fennel stands out with its distinctive sour smell when crushed. It is also easily uprooted due to shallow roots, compared to the deeper root systems of true cedars.

This pungent-smelling plant contains alkaloid compounds that, although toxic to the human liver when consumed, serve as a natural insecticide and fungicide. The oils inside Dog fennel release these compounds, making it effective to ward off bugs when burned or rubbed on the skin. It is these oils that combine with campfire smoke, making it an effective bug repellent. When used on your body as a repellent or healing agent, it's wise to test the crushed plant on a small patch of skin for any adverse reactions before rubbing it all over. Dog fennel is highly abundant and easily gathered, so next time you're out camping and bugs start getting you down, this little shrub may be your saving grace.