Here's the latest deadly pest in our agricultural state. The spotted lanternfly. Hitchhiker from Asia and destructive to trees and shrubs which it chews up and destroys. In the process, it makes a sweet sticky substance which creates mold as well, another crop destroyer.
This one showed up yesterday on my front door screen. Maybe planning to move in. I studied him, identified him online, and studied what to do about him.
Meanwhile I had taken a rather blurry picture. Which turns out to be good, because he flew away. And the advice sites were all about poisoning him, ew.
He's a handsome feller, natty polka dot spotted suit, red dots on his sides. A villain nonetheless.
Today I went to the NJ ag website and they're on it. A form to fill out, an adjustable map of where I spotted (!) it, which recorded the exact longitude and latitude as I aimed it. A place for a picture, yay, did that, the one you see, good enough for experts to recognize anyway.
Turns out several counties are already quarantining, however they do that, and don't need a report. Mine isn't one of them, so it means I'm reporting a spread.
Then a nice thank you after I'd uploaded the info, noting that it had been recorded. Good. Done my good deed. I feel so powerful.
After a strenuous morning pulling out ground cover and hauling it away, my other good deed. The weather's beautiful for this. And I'm so thankful I'm able to do it.
This afternoon I'm planning on lying reading outside. Not available for insect spying or ground clearing. Just reading something light, probably David Rosenfelt, who has been accompanying my stitching the last couple of days.
Lovely summer reading, light and funny and the good guys win, clearly, as Oscar said, a work of fiction.
And drinking tea and maybe there'll be a biscuit and cherry jam.
