I Spotted a (Spotted) Lanternfly
Feb 12, 2023 • 5:10 AM UTC
Mercer County, NJ, USA
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Insects and Arachnids
Sam
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I spotted a (Spotted) Lanternfly. Actually, I've spotted quite a few throughout my time on Princeton's campus. Most notably near Lake Carnegie where I liked to spend my afternoons during the warmer part of the semester. This bug in particular was found frozen near a collection of trees outside of our chemistry building.
First spotted in Berks County, Pennsylvania, the Asian Laternfly has settled firmly into the New Jersey area. While it poses no harm to people or animals, it continues to plague agriculture, and the state strongly encourages those who see Lanternflys to stomp them out immediately. A sentiment residents have taken up gladly. I remember being captivated by the striking design and vibrant colors of the Lanterflys' wings the first time I saw one, only to be chastised fellow students more familiar with the bug for allowing it to fly away. Despite accepting the necessity of stomping them out, I still find the bugs unusually beautiful. Seeing it's wings through the lens of my Foldscope only helped to reaffirm this opinion.
First spotted in Berks County, Pennsylvania, the Asian Laternfly has settled firmly into the New Jersey area. While it poses no harm to people or animals, it continues to plague agriculture, and the state strongly encourages those who see Lanternflys to stomp them out immediately. A sentiment residents have taken up gladly. I remember being captivated by the striking design and vibrant colors of the Lanterflys' wings the first time I saw one, only to be chastised fellow students more familiar with the bug for allowing it to fly away. Despite accepting the necessity of stomping them out, I still find the bugs unusually beautiful. Seeing it's wings through the lens of my Foldscope only helped to reaffirm this opinion.
The area itself is no stranger to invasive species. I remember on a visit to Princeton's Seed Farm -- a project aimed at cultivating culturally significant seeds -- I learned that the Ash Boer has killed a directional tree grown directly by Lenni-Lenape people. That piece of living history was gone. There is definitely a need to fight against invasive species and preserve the direct links to ecological history that are already so threatened.
But what can be done to stop these invasive species? How can we stop invasive species while also preserving existing wildlife? Looking online, I found that we're now attempting to introduce a natural predator of the Lanternfly, Dryinus browni , as a way to fight the invasion. But can we ensure that these species won't likewise become invasive? How many species can we add before we simply replicate another ecosystem in our own?
Hopefully a solution can be found soon, so we can all appreciate the Spotted Lanternfly in it's natural habitat.
I conducted this project as part of Professor Pringle's EEB321 class at Princeton University
But what can be done to stop these invasive species? How can we stop invasive species while also preserving existing wildlife? Looking online, I found that we're now attempting to introduce a natural predator of the Lanternfly, Dryinus browni , as a way to fight the invasion. But can we ensure that these species won't likewise become invasive? How many species can we add before we simply replicate another ecosystem in our own?
Hopefully a solution can be found soon, so we can all appreciate the Spotted Lanternfly in it's natural habitat.
I conducted this project as part of Professor Pringle's EEB321 class at Princeton University
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