Larger, more colorful, and stronger hoppers than earlier,
late-stage Spotted Lanternfly nymphs are nearing adult flight.
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July 12, 2020
June 18, 2020
Spotted Lanternfly nymphs, hatched from an overwintered egg mass,
gather upon a black walnut tree branch.
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Native to Asia and reported in growing numbers across southeastern Pennsylvania since 2014, these nymphs are the first I’ve seen on our small patch of Little Crum Creek — first individually in the milkweed garden and grass, and now most frequently together (in the absence of their preferred tree-of-heaven) in this black walnut.
Normally, I’d wait to collect and post images of each life-cycle stage. But you might be seeing these early nymphs too. If so, posting sooner seems better than later.
The Penn State Extension provides all we might like to know about identification and management of these invasive newcomers.
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April 22, 2020
April 13, 2020
a fisher fathoms the creek’s promise
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April 9, 2020
April 5, 2020
October 31, 2019
September 28, 2019
August 31, 2019
August 20, 2019
Paper wasps scour milkweed leaf tops, hungry for aphid “honeydew” frass
(noted in this 2017 post) dropped from leaf bottoms above.
Clockwise from top left:
Guinea wasp (Polistes exclamans), Northern paper wasp (Polistes fuscatus), Metricus paper wasp (Polistes metricus), European paper wasp (Polistes dominula).
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