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Spotted Lanternfly permeates across the Northeast with fears of further spread
In pictures: the invasion of the Spotted Lanternfly
The spotted lanternflies, an insect native to Southeast Asia, arrived in the U.S. seven years ago and in New York City in 2020, they feed on the sap of more than 70 plant species, leaving them susceptible to disease and destruction from other pests.
Spotted lanternflies perch on a tree at Inwood Hill Park. Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
Rachael Joakim is a Ph.D. candidate in ecology and evolutionary biology and a teacher with Nature Nerds, an after-school outdoor education class in Inwood Hill Park. Spotted lanternflies, an insect native to Southeast Asia that scientists say arrived in the U.S. seven years ago and in New York City in 2020, feed on the sap of more than 70 plant species, leaving them susceptible to disease and destruction from other pests.
