Bad Bug Alert: Spotted Lanternfly

Spring 2021—Invasive species of plants, insects, and even birds have continued to be one of the great threats to our natural ecosystems in Greenwich and beyond. Connecticut has received worrisome news that there have been sightings of Spotted Lanternfly, a species of insect from Asia, in several locations including Greenwich. This insect likely arrived in the United States on imported goods and in just five years the species has substantially grown its populations from Pennsylvania to several surrounding states.

As this insect species will feed on a variety of host plants and trees they could potentially do substantial damage to our native plants as well as food crops in Connecticut and beyond. We urge everyone to please read this informative page from the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) to learn about this new growing threat and how you can report sightings of eggs, larvae, and adult Lanternflies. It is also encouraged to remove one of this species’ native host trees, Tree-of-heaven (Ailanthus altissima), which has also become a widespread invasive species in our region.

Lanternfly eggs typically hatch by April so in the next month please be vigilant for egg cases of this highly destructive species on trees in your neighborhood. Our birds and wildlife rely on healthy ecosystems to live and the more we do to help remove the evolving threats they face, the healthier our planet will be.

Thank you for taking action and for your dedication to nature!