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Now that it’s fall, adult Spotted Lanternflies are mating and laying eggs. Identifying, finding, and disposing the eggs are an important step in helping to reduce the number of the invasive. The following video put together by staff at our park, Lenoir Preserve in Yonkers, explains what they look like and what to do when you see Spotted Lanternfly eggs.
You may also go to YouTube to watch the video.
The Spotted Lanternfly is a sap-sucking invasive species from Asia that can cause significant damage to parks and wooded areas. As nymphs, they are wingless with black and red spots. As adults, they can be mistaken for a colorful red, black, and grey moth, but do not have antennae.
The Westchester County Department of Parks, Recreation and Conservation acquired a fleet of high-powered commercial vacuums to suck up large congregations of Spotted Lanternflies found in our parks. The County also has a fleet dedicated to lend out to local municipalities to use.
If you see a Spotted Lanternfly, kill it. Ways for homeowners to kill them include using power washers and vacuum cleaners as stomping them doesn’t always work since they are quick.
In winter and spring, their egg masses should be scraped off of trees, rocks and other hard surfaces. The egg masses resemble clay or putty. Please report any sighting on our iNaturalist Spotted Lanternfly presence.
Helpful links:
Invasive Spotted Lanternfly palm card
Take Steps to Reduce Spotted Lanternflies Press Release.
Local Municipalities loaned Vacuums to Reduce Spotted Lanternflies Press Release.
Conservation Supervisor, Taro Ietaka, talks about and demonstrates in the video, how the Parks Department uses high-powered vacuums, and what residents can do if found at home.
Westchester County Parks is part of the Hudson River Fish Advisory Project, educating the public about fishing and fish consumption, and its accompanying advisories and regulations. Information and an interactive educational stand-in display is currently on exhibition at Croton Point Park. Visitors are encouraged to share photos on social media using #PRCFishingAmbassadors. Additional information can be found at the New York State Department of Health.
Please refer to our Westchester County Parks facebook page for weather cancellation updates on current events.
Westchester County Parks Nature Camps
Children entering grades Pre-K through nine can explore and discover the natural environment of Westchester County with fun, hands-on experiences at our nature centers. Each camp will focus on different aspects of nature and teach youngsters about animals, insects, plants and more!
Registration
Registration is open.
Need help registering? Camp Online Registration Instructions.
One and two-week sessions are offered beginning Monday, July 8, through Friday, Aug. 16, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- Cranberry Lake Preserve, North White Plains
(914) 428-1005 - Edith G. Read Wildlife Sanctuary, Rye
(914) 967-8720 - Lenoir Nature Preserve, Yonkers
(914) 968-5851 - Marshlands Conservancy, Rye
(914) 835-4466 - Trailside Nature Museum at Ward Pound Ridge Reservation, Cross River
(914) 864-7322
Cranberry Lake Nature Camp
The Cranberry Lake Nature Camp fosters an appreciation for the natural world through the hands-on exploration of this beautiful 200-acre nature preserve. From hiking the historic quarry to exploring the wonder of wetlands, campers become immersed in the beauty of nature.
Groups:
- Grades 1 - 3: Happy Campers; six, one-week sessions, Monday, July 8 through Friday, Aug. 16.
Fee: Westchester County residents: $350 per week; non-Westchester residents: $400 per week. - Grades 4 - 6: Creative Campers; six, one-week sessions, Monday, July 8 through Friday, Aug. 16.
Fee: Westchester County residents: $350 per week; non-Westchester residents: $400 per week. - Grades 7 - 9: Exploring Campers; two, two-week sessions, Monday, July 15 through Friday, Aug 9.
Fee: Westchester County residents and non-residents: $750 per two-weeks each with optional, included campout.
Read Nature Camp
Nature camps at Edith G. Read Wildlife Sanctuary include six weeks of gathering seashells, building forts from bamboo stalks, catching crabs and more.
Groups:
- Grades 1 - 3: Shoreline Explorers; six, one-week sessions, Monday, July 8 through Friday, Aug. 16. Weekly themes: Worlds of Water, Habitat by Habitat, Intertidal Zone: Sand, Shells and Seawater, Build it! From Bamboo to Branches and Bark; Rocks, Rubbles and Pebbles; Read Sanctuary - Where it all Comes Together
Fee: Westchester County residents: $350 per week; non-Westchester residents: $400 per week. - Grades 4 - 6: Forest Fanatics; six, one-week sessions, Monday, July 8 through Friday, Aug. 16. Weekly themes: Worlds of Water, Habitat by Habitat, Intertidal Zone: Sand, Shells and Seawater, Build it! From Bamboo to Branches and Bark; Rocks, Rubbles and Pebbles; Read Sanctuary - Where it all Comes Together
Fee: Westchester County residents: $350 per week; non-Westchester residents: $400 per week. - Grades 7 - 9: Science Scholars; five, one-week sessions, Monday, July 8 through Friday, Aug. 9. Weekly themes: Waterscape Ecosystem Studies, Surveying the Landscape, Hands-on Data Creature Observation, Conservation Project to Improve Environmental Quality, Team Building Through Nature Games and Activities
Fee: Westchester County residents: $350 per week; non-Westchester residents: $400 per week.
Lenoir Nature Camp
Through hands-on experiences, campers entering grades one through six will explore the earth and all her treasures. Lenoir Nature Camp engages campers’ explorations through a combination of arts and crafts, nature study, outdoor skills, and cooperative games in each one-week session.
Groups:
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Grades 1 - 2: Leaping Frogs; six, one-week sessions, Monday, July 8 through Friday, Aug. 16.
Fee: Westchester County residents: $350 per week; non-Westchester residents: $400 per week. -
Grades 3 - 4: Soaring Eagles; six, one-week sessions, Monday, July 8 through Friday, Aug. 16.
Fee: Westchester County residents: $350 per week; non-Westchester residents: $400 per week. -
Grades 5 - 6: Clever Coyotes; six, one-week sessions, Monday, July 8 through Friday, Aug. 16.
Fee: Westchester County residents: $350 per week; non-Westchester residents: $400 per week.
Marshlands Nature Camp
Marshlands Conservancy’s Nature Expeditions Camp will focus on searching for natural wonders within the habitats of Marshlands. Campers will take topic-oriented “expeditions” as they explore the world of insects, plants, mammals, salt-marsh life and other wonders of nature.
Eagles Outdoor Skills Program: For grades 7 - 9 we are offering a 3-day session introducing basic outdoor survival skills. Topics covered will include principles of survival shelter, fire-making methods, knife use and safety, making cordage from plants, purifying water, awareness and observation skills, camp craft, and more.
Groups:
- Grades 1 - 3: Falcons; five, one-week sessions, Monday, July 8 through Friday, Aug. 9.
Fee: Westchester County residents: $350 per week; non-Westchester residents: $400 per week. - Grades 4 - 6: Hawks; five, one-week sessions, Monday, July 8 through Friday, Aug. 9.
Fee: Fee: Westchester County residents: $350 per week; non-Westchester residents: $400 per week. - Grades 7 - 9: Eagles Outdoor Skills Program; one, 3-Day session, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Aug. 13, 14 and 15.
Fee: Westchester County residents: $325 and non-Westchester residents: $350.
Trailside Nature Camp
Delve into the world of nature at Trailside Nature Camp located in Ward Pound Ridge Reservation – the largest Westchester County park. Sessions are offered for youngsters from Pre-K to those entering grade nine with activities including on-location visits to archaeological sites, crayfish catching, nature games, art and much more.
Groups:
- Pre-K (ages 4 - 5): Adventurers; six, one-week sessions, 9 a.m. to 11:45 a.m., Monday, July 8 through Friday, Aug. 16. Must be potty-trained.
Fee: Westchester County residents and non-residents: $175 per week. - Grades 1 - 2: Park Rangers; six, one-week sessions, Monday, July 8 through Friday, Aug. 16.
Fee: Westchester County residents: $350 per week; non-Westchester residents: $400 per week. - Grades 3 - 5: Naturalists; six, one-week sessions, Monday, July 8 through Friday, Aug. 16.
Fee: Westchester County residents: $350 per week; non-Westchester residents: $400 per week. - Grades 6 - 9: Conservationists; two, two-week sessions, each with optional campout, Monday, July 8 through, Friday, July 19 and Monday, July 22 through Friday, Aug. 2.
Fee: $750 per two-weeks.
Exploring Westchester County’s rich past offers wonderful insight into how our county, especially the parks system, became great. From Colonial days when General George Washington himself walked along some of the same streets we use today, through post-Civil War reconstruction and the Gilded Age, to the land deal that led to laying the foundation for Westchester County Park system, a peek back in time helps us to treasure the many gifts we enjoy today.