Cody loved all animals, big and small. but she had a special, tender place in her heart for ants. They were so serious! They worked so hard!
from Cody and the Fountain of Happiness
written by Tricia Springstubb
illustrated by Eliza Wheeler
Candlewick Press, 2015
When my brother was very young, he caught a caterpillar. I suppose he wondered how it moved and so he separated all of its eighteen segments. He was a smart and curious child who grew into a smart and curious adult.
Mom found most of the segments in his pants pocket before they went through the washer and dryer. I learned a couple of things just by watching and listening.
1. Empty all pockets before putting clothes in the wash.
2. Be respectful of all life.
While Mom did not scream (she was not a screamer) or punish my brother for harming nature (she knew he was curious and sensitive), she did talk to all three of us about how important it is to protect those beings more vulnerable than us. We took the lesson to heart.
I still take insects and spiders, and one time I shooed a baby squirrel, outside. Just this past Sunday morning, we were visiting my daughter and her family when she went into the kitchen to refill our coffee cups. She did not scream either, but I detected a note of urgency when she called me to “come see something.”
My husband used a paper cup and an index card to escort a large Charlotte to her more suitable living space, outside. All of us lived to tell the tale.
It might make one feel powerful to squash a bug, but what good can that accomplish?
Turns out, plenty. Especially if the bug is a spotted lanternfly. When I learned that my very own Mahoning County, Ohio, is under quarantine, I wanted to know more.
Despite their name, they aren’t good fliers. Lanternflies are plant hoppers indigenous to Asia but are now found in Japan, South Korea, and the United States. While they’re not dangerous to humans in an overt way, they don’t sting, bite, or burrow under our skin, they are a threat. Spotted lanternflies infest crops including soybeans, grapes, apples, and stone fruits.
Besides feeding on the crops, the ODNA (Ohio Department of Natural Resources) warns that both nymphs and adults “produce copious amounts of sticky, sugary liquid known as honeydew.” The honeydew is attractive to ants, flies, and wasps. It can also be colonized by “sooty mold,” a fungus that can ruin grape and hops harvests and decrease photosynthesis.
While they suck up the sap from over 70 kinds of trees, spotted lanternflies love the invasive Tree-of-Heaven best, themselves an Asian import. The trees are extreme pollen producers with extensive root systems so are difficult to eradicate. Penn State Extension Service has lots of information here. The trees were brought to the Philadelphia area in the late 1700s as a valued, unique, fast-growing ornamental shade tree. They can grow to 80 feet and up to six feet in diameter.
As of this week, at least 17 states are infested with the spotted lanternfly. People in quarantined areas should look for evidence of the bugs before traveling to another area. Here's information with pictures from the USDA to help us identify their various stages.
If you see one (or many) report the sighting to your Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS).
Find contacts from the USDA APHIS and click here to find your state’s form.
Click here to find information from the National Plant Board for each state.
According to an article from CBS News last year, authorities from the USDA encourage people to “do whatever they can to stop the pests from spreading.”
Spotted lanternflies do have a few natural predators. Praying mantises eat them. Chickens and cardinals have been seen eating them in Pennsylvania. Two species of wasps are being studied to see if they will eat the pests, but so far, the spotted lanternflies reproduce faster than any of their predators can keep them in check. Hence the government urges us all to stomp.
Beware, though, warns the authors of an article from Axios.com. Some native insects look similar, to even some moths and beetles.
Beginning in August 2020, the Audubon Society asked its community to “post photos of birds, other insects, and spiders eating the spotted lanternfly.” Thirty-three different species have been seen “chowing down.” The Society is currently researching whether “there may be a way to encourage native wildlife to eat more bad bugs.”
You might remember my brother’s caterpillar adventure. I used it to introduce the cicada invasion of last May (Truly Buggy May 14). I related the story very differently, though, and decided to keep both versions. Memory is a tricky thing.
It appears the lesson, All Life is Precious, is more important than my brother’s adventure.
But bopping dangerous bugs, even if they are beautiful, may not be such a bad idea.
My eleven-year-old grandson recommended Freewater by Amina Luqman-Dawson (Jimmy Patterson/Little, Brown and Company, 2022). Winner of the 2023 Newbery Award and the Coretta Scott King Author Award, it is an historic fictional account of two children who ran away from their plantation into the Great Dismal Swamp in Virginia and became part of a Maroon community. Although Freewater is not a real community, it is “[l]oosly based on a little-mined but important piece of history… [A]n inspiring and deeply empowering story of survival, love, and courage.” from the publisher. Recommended by me, too!
-—be curious! (and observant)
from Cody and the Fountain of Happiness
written by Tricia Springstubb
illustrated by Eliza Wheeler
Candlewick Press, 2015
When my brother was very young, he caught a caterpillar. I suppose he wondered how it moved and so he separated all of its eighteen segments. He was a smart and curious child who grew into a smart and curious adult.
Mom found most of the segments in his pants pocket before they went through the washer and dryer. I learned a couple of things just by watching and listening.
1. Empty all pockets before putting clothes in the wash.
2. Be respectful of all life.
While Mom did not scream (she was not a screamer) or punish my brother for harming nature (she knew he was curious and sensitive), she did talk to all three of us about how important it is to protect those beings more vulnerable than us. We took the lesson to heart.
I still take insects and spiders, and one time I shooed a baby squirrel, outside. Just this past Sunday morning, we were visiting my daughter and her family when she went into the kitchen to refill our coffee cups. She did not scream either, but I detected a note of urgency when she called me to “come see something.”
My husband used a paper cup and an index card to escort a large Charlotte to her more suitable living space, outside. All of us lived to tell the tale.
It might make one feel powerful to squash a bug, but what good can that accomplish?
Turns out, plenty. Especially if the bug is a spotted lanternfly. When I learned that my very own Mahoning County, Ohio, is under quarantine, I wanted to know more.
Despite their name, they aren’t good fliers. Lanternflies are plant hoppers indigenous to Asia but are now found in Japan, South Korea, and the United States. While they’re not dangerous to humans in an overt way, they don’t sting, bite, or burrow under our skin, they are a threat. Spotted lanternflies infest crops including soybeans, grapes, apples, and stone fruits.
Besides feeding on the crops, the ODNA (Ohio Department of Natural Resources) warns that both nymphs and adults “produce copious amounts of sticky, sugary liquid known as honeydew.” The honeydew is attractive to ants, flies, and wasps. It can also be colonized by “sooty mold,” a fungus that can ruin grape and hops harvests and decrease photosynthesis.
While they suck up the sap from over 70 kinds of trees, spotted lanternflies love the invasive Tree-of-Heaven best, themselves an Asian import. The trees are extreme pollen producers with extensive root systems so are difficult to eradicate. Penn State Extension Service has lots of information here. The trees were brought to the Philadelphia area in the late 1700s as a valued, unique, fast-growing ornamental shade tree. They can grow to 80 feet and up to six feet in diameter.
As of this week, at least 17 states are infested with the spotted lanternfly. People in quarantined areas should look for evidence of the bugs before traveling to another area. Here's information with pictures from the USDA to help us identify their various stages.
If you see one (or many) report the sighting to your Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS).
Find contacts from the USDA APHIS and click here to find your state’s form.
Click here to find information from the National Plant Board for each state.
According to an article from CBS News last year, authorities from the USDA encourage people to “do whatever they can to stop the pests from spreading.”
Spotted lanternflies do have a few natural predators. Praying mantises eat them. Chickens and cardinals have been seen eating them in Pennsylvania. Two species of wasps are being studied to see if they will eat the pests, but so far, the spotted lanternflies reproduce faster than any of their predators can keep them in check. Hence the government urges us all to stomp.
Beware, though, warns the authors of an article from Axios.com. Some native insects look similar, to even some moths and beetles.
Beginning in August 2020, the Audubon Society asked its community to “post photos of birds, other insects, and spiders eating the spotted lanternfly.” Thirty-three different species have been seen “chowing down.” The Society is currently researching whether “there may be a way to encourage native wildlife to eat more bad bugs.”
You might remember my brother’s caterpillar adventure. I used it to introduce the cicada invasion of last May (Truly Buggy May 14). I related the story very differently, though, and decided to keep both versions. Memory is a tricky thing.
It appears the lesson, All Life is Precious, is more important than my brother’s adventure.
But bopping dangerous bugs, even if they are beautiful, may not be such a bad idea.
My eleven-year-old grandson recommended Freewater by Amina Luqman-Dawson (Jimmy Patterson/Little, Brown and Company, 2022). Winner of the 2023 Newbery Award and the Coretta Scott King Author Award, it is an historic fictional account of two children who ran away from their plantation into the Great Dismal Swamp in Virginia and became part of a Maroon community. Although Freewater is not a real community, it is “[l]oosly based on a little-mined but important piece of history… [A]n inspiring and deeply empowering story of survival, love, and courage.” from the publisher. Recommended by me, too!
-—be curious! (and observant)
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