July 21, 2025
My Dad loved to use eloquent phrasing when he spoke. Seems to me that perhaps his most used word of this sort was “ubiquitous”. That word certainly applies to this non-native invasive pest, the Spotted Lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula). They are ubiquitous here.
Not a fly as its common name implies. These creatures are Planthoppers from Asia, arriving in the United States in 2014. They are in the order Hemiptera (true bugs), and are related to Cicadas, Brown Marmorated Stink Bugs, Aphids, and other Leafhoppers. Insects in this order have mouthparts that are used for piercing and sucking into the inner bark of trees and smaller plants. This allows the Lanternfly to feed on the sugary sap of those plants.
Looking at the image above, it appears that this Spotted Lanternfly has reddish-orange eyes but these are not eyes, but something that is quite close to the two black eyes of the SLF.
Adult Spotted Lanternflies are about 1 inch long, and did I say, “They are ubiquitous”?
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