You've probably seen spotted lanternflies all around Maryland and Baltimore. They are tan and covered in black spots.

When they open their wings, a bright red flashes in front of you.

Spotted lanternflies are an invasive species in Maryland, and although they will not harm you, they are threatening our ecosystem and farms.

What are they and how did they get here?

Experts believe the spotted lanternfly came over from China on a stone shipment to Berks County, Pennsylvania, in 2014. They then entered Maryland in 2018.

Megan Carr, a Forest Ecologist with Baltimore City Recreation and Parks' Forestry Division, said they were first found in Baltimore in 2021.

They are an invasive hopper insect that suck sap from grapevines and trees, including the weeping willow, maples, and black walnuts

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