Spotted lanternfly is an invasive pest from Asia that poses a very significant threat to New York’s agricultural and forest health.
Adults and nymphs feed on sap of over 70 plant species but their preferred food source is Tree of Heaven (Ailanthus altissima). Spotted lanternfly can jump and fly short distances but they spread primarily through human activity. SLF lay eggs on firewood, furniture, stone and vehicles which are transported moving it to new areas.
Information from the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation states that ‘Nymphs are black with white spots and turn red before transitioning into adults. They can be seen as early as April. Adults begin to appear in July and are approximately one inch long and half-inch wide at rest, with eye-catching wings. Their forewings are grayish with black spots. The lower portions of their hindwings are red with black spots and the upper portions are dark with a white stripe. In the fall, adults lay one-inch-long egg masses on nearly anything from tree trunks and rocks to vehicles and firewood. They are smooth and brownish-gray with a shiny, waxy coating when first laid.’You will also view excellent photos of egg masses, as well as the different stages of development.
The best way to control spotted lanternfly is to prevent its spread. Learn to identify it and to report it right away. Always inspect outdoor items such as firewood, vehicles, and furniture for egg masses. If you visit states with Spotted Lanternfly, be sure to check all equipment and gear before leaving and scrape off any egg masses. If you believe you have found Spotted laternfly, take photos (including something for scale, such as a coin, or ruler) and send an e-mail to .
Lesser celandine is a member of the buttercup family, lesser celandine is a spring ephemeral with glossy yellow flowers and dark green, heart-shaped leaves. It forms dense mats in riparian corridors, forested floodplains, wet meadows, and lawns, preventing the growth of other plants. By summer, lesser celandine dies back and disappears completely. The plant propagates primarily by small potato-like tubers that can be disbursed by water and digging animals. Once separated from the parent plant, each tuber has the potential to grow into a new plant.
Due to its ephemeral nature, lesser celandine is challenging to control. Small infestations can be hand dug if care is taken to remove all the roots and tubers. The controlled area should be revisited two to three times a season for at least two to three years to ensure exhaustion of the seed bank and that no re-sprouting has occurred. Removed plants should be bagged and disposed of in trash.
Lesser celandine and the native marsh marigold (Caltha palustris) are both spring ephemerals of wet areas with similar buttercup-like flowers. The flowers of marsh marigold have five to nine yellow petal-like sepals while lesser celandine has seven to12 narrow yellow petals with green sepals underneath. Marsh marigold has fleshy roots with no tubers.
To learn more about it, how to control it and to see additional photographs go to Lower Hudson PRISM as well as the New York Invasive Species (IS) Information through the Cornell Cooperative Extension.
Jetbead is a multi-stemmed deciduous shrub that invades understories despite shade. Most noticeable for its flowers. Grown as a desired ornamental in China and Japan, it quickly outcompetes native shrubs and can grow five to seven feet tall disturbing canopy layers. Single, white showy flowers appear on sprawling shrubs in early May often at forest edges. The berries grow perpendicularly to each other and are jet black. Leaves are deeply veined, elongated and toothed - they grow directly opposite of each other.
Currently it is a less common invasive species in Hudson Valley, if you see it, please document its presence by loading photos onto iNaturalist
Jetbead is confused with native mock orange (Philadelphus virginalis) which has similar four petaled white flowers. The native Arrowood (Viburnum dentatum) is a lookalike but the leaves are softer and rounder.
To learn more about it, and to see additional photographs, go to Lower Hudson PRISM.
Giant Hogweed is a Federally-listed noxious weed. The sap, when combined with sunlight and moisture (sweat), can cause severe burns and scarring. It can reach a height of 20 feet. The thick, hollow stems have dark purplish blotches and raised nodules. The leaves are compound, lobed, and deeply incised and can reach up to five feet in width. White umbrella-shaped flowers, resembling the flowers of Queen Anne’s lace, appear in early to mid-summer. It grows in disturbed places like roadside ditches and stream banks and prefers rich moist soil and full to partial sun.
Non-professionals should not attempt to remove, or even touch, giant hogweed. If you encounter the plant, report it to the NYSDEC at: 845-256-3111. From late April through August, DEC field crews visit each confirmed giant hogweed site, and use appropriate control method. This is free of charge to the landowner.
Except for its giant size, giant hogweed resembles cow-parsnip and Queen Anne’s lace.
To learn more about it, and to see additional photographs, go to NY Department of Environmental Conservation.
Japanese Angelica Tree is a member of the Carrot family is capable of growing forty feet high. This species blooms white flowers wider than they are tall in late August. Stems are covered in sharp spines and small purple fruits generally appear in September. Manual hand pulling and digging of young plants. A weed wrench much be used for larger plants. May be confused with Devil’s walkingstick (Aralia spinosa).
To learn more about it, and to see additional photographs, go to Lower Hudson PRISM,