“From coastal resiliency and sustainable green practices to the preservation of affordable housing, world-class public art, and vibrant, year-round programming in award-winning public spaces, Battery Park City leads the way in many of the measures that makes cities livable."
The Spotted Laternfly (SLF), or Lycorma delicatula, is a planthopper with distinctive red wings native to Asia. While not known to bite, sting, or attack people or pets, SLF is an invasive insect that poses a significant threat to a wide range of agricultural crops, including grapes, hops, apples, blueberries, and peaches/plums. First discovered in New York City in Staten Island during the summer of 2020, SLF populations have increased in number all across the region – including New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Maryland, Delaware, and Ohio. This makes action to slow the spread of this invasive insect all the more important.
BPCA is monitoring the presence of SLF in Battery Park City and remains in touch with our partners at the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets (AGM) and Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). To aid in monitoring SLF presence in our parks and slow their spread, the Authority has also installed circle traps on a number trees (pictured above) throughout the neighborhood. These traps work by wrapping the trunk with screen material to capture the insects as they crawl up a tree’s trunk.
How you can help:
– While we typically recommend that parks users “Keep It Wild” and not interfere with wildlife in Battery Park City, as it is an invasive species NYS AGM is asking residents to destroy SLF adults when they encounter them. (Residents can also help by allowing surveyors access to properties where SLF may be present. Surveyors will be uniformed and will always provide identification.)
– Upload your SLF sighting(s) to the Battery Park City iNaturalist page. User-generated observations help contribute to biodiversity science, from the rarest butterfly to the most common backyard weed. Findings are shared with scientific data repositories like the Global Biodiversity Information Facility.
For comprehensive information on Spotted Lanternfly biology, lifecycle, and integrated pest management visit the Cornell College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Integrated Pest Management (IPM) webpage.
