It looked almost beautiful.
Perched on my maple tree one humid afternoon, it fanned its wings — gray with black spots, then whoosh — a flash of crimson red beneath.
Like a tiny, winged jewel.
I almost didn’t want to hurt it.
Then I pulled out my phone.
One photo.
One search.
One chilling result:
Spotted lanternfly.
Lycorma delicatula.
Invasive. Destructive. Destroy on sight.
That pretty little bug wasn’t a marvel of nature.
It was a home wrecker.
A tree vampire.
A one-insect apocalypse.
And if you see one?
Squish it. Smash it. Salt the earth.
Because this isn’t just a bug.
It’s an ecological emergency.
🐞 Meet the Enemy: The Spotted Lanternfly
Native to China, India, and Vietnam, the spotted lanternfly hitched a ride to the U.S. on a stone shipment in 2014, landing in Berks County, Pennsylvania.
Since then, it has spread across 14+ states — creeping through the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, and into the Midwest.
And unlike most bugs, it doesn’t just live on plants.
It destroys them.
🌳 What Makes It So Dangerous?
The spotted lanternfly may look delicate, but it feeds like a monster.
Here’s how it kills:
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