Skyscrapers as ecological traps of the spotted lanternfly
Spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula) moribund on a sidewalk outside a high-rise building.
Spotted lanternflies (Lycorma delicatula) first appeared in North America in southeastern Pennsylvania in 2014. By 2020, spotted lanternflies were ubiquitous in Philadelphia. Adult spotted lanternflies swarmed around tall buildings downtown. Adult spotted lanternflies naturally fly to high vertical structures, which in their native habitats are their host plants––trees. In futile attempts to feed, they landed on walls of high-rises and extended their proboscises as if tapping phloem in a tree. Deprived of calories and hydration, many fell, piling up moribund on sidewalks at the base of these buildings.
Spotted lanternflies have since drastically declined in abundance in downtown Philadelphia. Although their mortality around skyscrapers likely contributed to this, these insects have declined regionally in areas without skyscrapers. The broader causes of their decline remain uncertain.
__________
