Spotted Lanternfly Spotted at the CGC

In May of 2024, we made an unpleasant discovery out in the botanic garden: Spotted Lanternfly nymphs, black and white, the size of a sesame seed, feeding on the tender stems of their favorite host plant.

You’ve probably heard of Spotted Lanternfly (SLF), the invasive plant hopper that’s been spreading across the eastern U.S. over the last decade. But maybe you didn’t realize it was right here in Cincinnati. Unfortunately, stopping the spread of invasive species like SLF is tough—especially when their main host is another noxious invasive, in this case Ailanthus altissima or Tree of Heaven. 

Tree of Heaven and Spotted Lanternfly are both from East Asia, where they exist in balance with the rest of the ecosystem. Here in North America, Ailanthus is considered a highly destructive invasive tree, growing incredibly fast and spreading through underground suckers to dominate urban woodlands, so if SLF only fed on this one species, it could almost be considered a blessing that it was here in our city. Unfortunately, things are never that easy. As a generalist, SLF is anything but picky and has been observed sucking the juices out of over 100 different plant species. Outside of its natural ecosystem, where it has no natural predators, huge populations of feeding SLF can severely weaken valuable crops and native plants, leading to the plants’ decline and eventual death.

So, what are we doing about Spotted Lanternfly at the CGC? The first thing we did was contact the Ohio Department of Agriculture, who sent a couple experts out to do a thorough inspection of our grounds. Then we squished all the SLF we found and removed all the small Tree of Heaven they were living on. There’s another large tree next door that still needs to go, but for now we’ve erected a trap on it to observe the population.

If you see Spotted Lanternfly in your own yard or neighborhood, report it to the ODA Plant Pest Control. Small numbers are easy to squash and can also be trapped or treated with insecticide if the situation warrants. Check nursery plants before buying them, check any plants you may be trading with friends and check yourself like you would for ticks if you’ve been in an area with a known infestation. Most importantly, remove any Tree of Heaven on your property.

Problematic invasive insects like SLF are becoming more common. Exotic species can tear through native populations like wildfire, and we’re often helpless to stop them. Scouting, reporting and acting to minimize the spread is the best we can do in this situation. Luckily, because SLF has such a close relationship to Ailanthus, minimizing the spread goes hand in hand with the CGC’s mission of urban conservation and native plant restoration.