{"license":"Text © Pollinate Happiness, free for educational use with attribution. Species ranges generalized from USDA PLANTS/BONAP; life-stage months typical for the Northeast.","items":{"spotted-lanternfly":{"taxonId":324726,"stages":[{"key":"egg","label":"Egg masses","months":[10,11,12,1,2,3,4],"term":1,"value":7,"look":"Gray-brown, putty-like smears 1 to 1.5 inches long holding 30 to 50 eggs, on tree bark, stone, fences, cars, grills, and patio furniture. Older masses crack and look like dried mud.","action":"Scrape into a bag of rubbing alcohol or hand sanitizer and seal. Check vehicles and firewood before traveling."},{"key":"nymph-early","label":"Early nymphs","months":[5,6],"term":1,"value":5,"look":"Black, a quarter inch long, covered in white polka dots. They hop when approached and cluster on tree-of-heaven, grapevines, black walnut, roses, and garden vegetables.","action":"Squash them. Wrap trunks with sticky bands only inside a wildlife guard, or use circle traps. Remove tree-of-heaven."},{"key":"nymph-late","label":"Red nymphs","months":[7],"term":1,"value":5,"look":"Bright red with black and white spots, about half an inch. The last stage before adults, often in groups on stems.","action":"Squash. Circle traps on trunks catch large numbers now."},{"key":"adult","label":"Adults","months":[8,9,10,11],"term":1,"value":2,"look":"An inch long with gray, black-spotted forewings; the red, black, and white hindwings flash in flight. Swarms on tree-of-heaven, maples, and grapevines, with sticky honeydew and black sooty mold below.","action":"Squash. Egg-laying starts in late September, so kill adults before then. Report in towns where they are not yet known."}]},"spongy-moth":{"taxonId":47802,"stages":[{"key":"egg","label":"Egg masses","months":[8,9,10,11,12,1,2,3,4],"term":1,"value":7,"look":"Tan, felt-like oval masses about 1.5 inches long on bark, under limbs, on firewood, sheds, and outdoor gear.","action":"Scrape into soapy water. Each mass holds 500 to 1,000 caterpillars."},{"key":"larva","label":"Caterpillars","months":[5,6],"term":1,"value":6,"look":"Hairy caterpillars up to 2.5 inches with five pairs of blue dots followed by six pairs of red dots. In early May, tiny black caterpillars balloon on silk threads.","action":"Wrap trunks with burlap bands folded over; collect the caterpillars hiding under them at midday into soapy water."},{"key":"pupa","label":"Pupae","months":[6,7],"term":1,"value":4,"look":"Dark brown teardrop cases hanging by a few silk threads in bark crevices and under eaves.","action":"Crush them."},{"key":"adult","label":"Moths","months":[7,8],"term":1,"value":2,"look":"Cream-white flightless females laying eggs on trunks; brown males fluttering in zigzags by day.","action":"Nothing effective now. Note infested trees for egg-mass scraping this winter."}]},"emerald-ash-borer":{"taxonId":70057,"stages":[{"key":"larva","label":"Larvae under bark","months":[8,9,10,11,12,1,2,3,4,5],"term":1,"value":6,"look":"Cream-colored, flat, segmented larvae in S-shaped galleries under ash bark. From outside: thinning crown, sprouts from the trunk, bark splits, and pale flecking where woodpeckers have been feeding.","action":"Have valuable ash trees treated by a certified arborist in spring. Never move firewood."},{"key":"adult","label":"Adult beetles","months":[6,7],"term":1,"value":2,"look":"Metallic emerald beetles half an inch long on ash foliage; fresh D-shaped exit holes an eighth of an inch across in the bark.","action":"Report new finds. Trunk treatments must be in place before or during flight."}]},"asian-longhorned-beetle":{"taxonId":128525,"stages":[{"key":"larva","label":"Larvae inside trunks","months":[9,10,11,12,1,2,3,4,5,6],"term":1,"value":6,"look":"Hidden inside maples, birches, elms, and willows. Look for coarse sawdust-like frass piled at the base of trunks and in branch crotches, and oozing sap from oval egg sites.","action":"Report suspicious frass or dime-sized perfectly round holes to the state or USDA."},{"key":"adult","label":"Adult beetles","months":[7,8,9,10],"term":1,"value":2,"look":"Glossy black, 1 to 1.5 inches, with white spots and antennae longer than the body banded black and white.","action":"Capture in a jar, photograph, and report immediately. Long Island's last infestation took years to eradicate."}]},"hemlock-woolly-adelgid":{"taxonId":61513,"stages":[{"key":"wool","label":"White wool visible","months":[11,12,1,2,3,4,5],"look":"White cottony tufts at the base of needles on the underside of hemlock twigs, like tiny cotton swabs. Most visible late winter and spring.","action":"Check every hemlock now. Arborist treatments work best in spring and fall."},{"key":"summer","label":"Hard to see","months":[6,7,8,9,10],"look":"Nymphs are dormant and the wool weathers away, so infested trees look clean. Thinning, grayish foliage is the only clue.","action":"Note suspect trees and schedule a fall treatment."}]},"jumping-worms":{"taxonId":364093,"stages":[{"key":"cocoon","label":"Cocoons in soil","months":[11,12,1,2,3,4],"look":"Adults have died; mustard-seed-sized cocoons in the top inch of soil are invisible in practice. Infested soil looks like coffee grounds with no leaf litter.","action":"Do not move soil, mulch, or plants out of infested beds. Solarize compost under clear plastic."},{"key":"juvenile","label":"Small worms","months":[5,6,7],"term":1,"value":8,"look":"Small, pale, fast-moving worms that thrash when disturbed. The pale band has not formed yet.","action":"Hand-remove into a sealed bag."},{"key":"adult","label":"Adults","months":[8,9,10],"term":1,"value":2,"look":"4 to 8 inches, smooth and gray-brown, thrashing like a snake when touched, with a milky-white flat band circling the body near the head.","action":"Hand-remove into a bag and dispose in the trash. Report to iMapInvasives."}]},"japanese-beetle":{"taxonId":67760,"stages":[{"key":"grub","label":"Grubs in lawn","months":[9,10,11,12,1,2,3,4,5],"term":1,"value":6,"look":"C-shaped white grubs with brown heads in the root zone of turf. Brown lawn patches that lift like carpet; skunks and raccoons digging.","action":"Beneficial nematodes in late August or September; replacing lawn with native plantings removes the habitat."},{"key":"adult","label":"Adult beetles","months":[6,7,8],"term":1,"value":2,"look":"Half an inch, metallic green with copper wing covers and tufts of white hair along the sides. Feed in groups, skeletonizing leaves.","action":"Knock into soapy water in the morning. Skip pheromone traps; they draw more beetles than they catch."}]},"brown-marmorated-stink-bug":{"taxonId":81923,"stages":[{"key":"egg","label":"Eggs","months":[6,7],"term":1,"value":7,"look":"Clusters of 20 to 30 pale green, barrel-shaped eggs on leaf undersides.","action":"Crush or drop the leaf in soapy water."},{"key":"nymph","label":"Nymphs","months":[6,7,8,9],"term":1,"value":5,"look":"Early nymphs are red and black; later ones brown with banded legs and antennae, on fruit and vegetables.","action":"Hand-pick into soapy water."},{"key":"adult","label":"Adults","months":[9,10,11,3,4],"term":1,"value":2,"look":"Mottled brown shield half to three quarters of an inch with alternating light and dark bands on the antennae and abdomen edge. Swarm sunny walls in fall and appear indoors.","action":"Seal gaps around windows and vents; vacuum indoor bugs."}]},"garlic-mustard":{"taxonId":56061,"stages":[{"key":"rosette","label":"Rosettes","months":[8,9,10,11,12,1,2,3],"look":"Low rosettes of kidney-shaped, scalloped leaves that smell of garlic when crushed. They stay green all winter, which makes them easy to spot.","action":"Pull them now while nothing else is green, or flag the patch for April."},{"key":"flowering","label":"Flowering","months":[4,5],"term":12,"value":13,"look":"Stalks 1 to 3 feet tall with triangular, toothed leaves and clusters of small white four-petaled flowers.","action":"Pull before seed sets. The whole root comes up in moist soil. Bag and trash."},{"key":"seeding","label":"Seed pods","months":[6,7],"term":12,"value":14,"look":"Long, thin, upright pods turning brown on yellowing plants; each plant holds hundreds of seeds.","action":"Cut and bag pods. Never compost. Seed lasts years in soil, so repeat for five seasons."}]},"mile-a-minute":{"taxonId":131249,"stages":[{"key":"seedling","label":"Seedlings","months":[4,5],"look":"Small seedlings with perfectly triangular light-green leaves and reddish stems, often in dense flushes where last year's vines grew.","action":"Pull now; roots are shallow and there are no barbs yet."},{"key":"vine","label":"Climbing vines","months":[6,7,8],"term":12,"value":13,"look":"Vines growing up to 6 inches a day over shrubs and small trees, with triangular leaves, recurved barbs, and saucer-shaped leafy cups at the nodes.","action":"Pull with gloves before berries form; get the root."},{"key":"fruit","label":"Blue berries","months":[8,9,10],"term":12,"value":14,"look":"Clusters of metallic blue berries sitting in the leafy cups.","action":"Bag every berry before birds spread them. Report new populations."}]},"black-swallow-wort":{"taxonId":208963,"stages":[{"key":"shoots","label":"New shoots","months":[5],"look":"Twining shoots with glossy, opposite, pointed leaves emerging in meadows, hedgerows, and garden beds.","action":"Dig root crowns while the ground is soft."},{"key":"flowering","label":"Flowering","months":[6,7],"term":12,"value":13,"look":"Tiny dark purple to black star-shaped flowers along the vine. Monarchs lay eggs on it now; the caterpillars die.","action":"Pull or dig; do not just cut."},{"key":"pods","label":"Seed pods","months":[8,9],"term":12,"value":14,"look":"Slender pointed pods like small milkweed pods, splitting to release silky seed.","action":"Bag pods before they open. Report it near monarch habitat."}]},"japanese-knotweed":{"taxonId":914922,"stages":[{"key":"shoots","label":"Spring shoots","months":[4,5],"look":"Red-purple shoots like thick asparagus spears pushing up in clumps, growing several inches a day.","action":"Cut repeatedly to exhaust the rhizome; never dig without a disposal plan."},{"key":"summer","label":"Summer canes","months":[6,7],"look":"Hollow, bamboo-like canes 6 to 10 feet tall with red speckles, zig-zag branching, and heart-shaped leaves with a flat base.","action":"Keep cutting; bag every fragment."},{"key":"flowering","label":"Flowering","months":[8,9],"term":12,"value":13,"look":"Sprays of tiny creamy-white flowers, buzzing with bees.","action":"Late-season treatment is most effective now, before the plant pulls energy down for winter."},{"key":"dormant","label":"Dead canes","months":[10,11,12,1,2,3],"look":"Standing dead tan canes, hollow and brittle; the rhizomes underneath are very much alive.","action":"Do not move soil from the area."}]},"tree-of-heaven":{"taxonId":57278,"stages":[{"key":"flowering","label":"Flowering","months":[6,7],"term":12,"value":13,"look":"Large clusters of yellow-green flowers at branch tips with a strong, unpleasant smell.","action":"Mark trees now; flowers make them easy to spot from a distance."},{"key":"samaras","label":"Seed clusters","months":[8,9,10,11],"term":12,"value":14,"look":"Big drooping clusters of twisted, papery, tan-to-red samaras on female trees, persisting into winter.","action":"Treat cut stumps or use basal bark treatment now; cutting alone triggers suckers."},{"key":"winter","label":"Bare trees","months":[12,1,2,3,4,5],"look":"Smooth gray bark, very stout twigs with large heart-shaped leaf scars, and root suckers everywhere. Check trunks for spotted lanternfly egg masses.","action":"Scrape lanternfly eggs; plan removal for late summer."}]},"purple-loosestrife":{"taxonId":61321,"stages":[{"key":"flowering","label":"Flowering","months":[7,8],"term":12,"value":13,"look":"Tall spikes of magenta flowers on square stems in wet ground.","action":"Cut and bag flower spikes before seed sets; pull small plants."},{"key":"seeding","label":"Seed spikes","months":[9,10],"term":12,"value":14,"look":"Brown spikes shedding dust-fine seed, up to two million per plant.","action":"Cut carefully into bags; do not shake."},{"key":"dormant","label":"Dormant","months":[11,12,1,2,3,4,5,6],"look":"Dead brown stems standing in marsh edges; new red-tinged shoots in May.","action":"Flag patches for July."}]},"oriental-bittersweet":{"taxonId":64540,"stages":[{"key":"summer","label":"Leafy vines","months":[5,6,7,8],"look":"Twining vines with round, glossy, finely toothed leaves climbing shrubs and trees; small greenish flowers in June.","action":"Cut vines at chest and ankle height and treat the lower stump."},{"key":"fruit","label":"Orange berries","months":[9,10,11,12],"term":12,"value":14,"look":"Yellow-orange capsules along the stems splitting to show red seeds, unmistakable after leaf drop.","action":"Cut before birds eat the fruit. Never use in wreaths or arrangements."},{"key":"winter","label":"Bare vines","months":[1,2,3,4],"look":"Thick, striated vines spiraling up trunks and girdling them; remaining berries on the ground.","action":"Winter is the easiest time to find and cut the big vines."}]},"lesser-celandine":{"taxonId":204321,"stages":[{"key":"flowering","label":"Flowering","months":[3,4],"term":12,"value":13,"look":"Mats of glossy, heart-shaped leaves with bright yellow, eight-petaled flowers in floodplains, lawns, and shady beds.","action":"Dig small patches with all soil into bags before the bulbils drop; report larger ones."},{"key":"fading","label":"Dying back","months":[5],"look":"Yellowing leaves and tiny tubers and bulbils dropping into the soil.","action":"Do not rake or move soil from the patch."},{"key":"dormant","label":"Gone","months":[6,7,8,9,10,11,12,1,2],"look":"Nothing visible at all; bare soil where native spring wildflowers should be.","action":"Mark the spot for March."}]},"japanese-stiltgrass":{"taxonId":116710,"stages":[{"key":"seedling","label":"Seedlings","months":[5,6],"look":"Delicate pale green seedlings with a silvery stripe of hairs down the leaf midrib, in shady lawns, trails, and woodland edges.","action":"Pull small patches now; the roots are shallow."},{"key":"vegetative","label":"Sprawling growth","months":[7,8],"look":"Sprawling stems 1 to 3 feet, rooting at the nodes, forming lawn-like carpets in shade.","action":"Pull or string-trim close to the ground in late August, before seed."},{"key":"seeding","label":"Seed heads","months":[9,10],"term":12,"value":14,"look":"Thin seed spikes at the stem tips; plants turn purple, then tan, and die at first frost.","action":"Too late to prevent seed once heads show. Bag what you pull; plan for August next year."}]},"monarch":{"taxonId":48662,"stages":[{"key":"egg","label":"Eggs","months":[6,7,8],"term":1,"value":7,"look":"Single cream-colored, ribbed eggs the size of a pinhead on the underside of milkweed leaves, usually the tender top leaves.","action":"Look, don't touch. Leave aphids and don't spray."},{"key":"larva","label":"Caterpillars","months":[6,7,8,9],"term":1,"value":6,"look":"Yellow, black, and white banded caterpillars up to 2 inches with two pairs of black filaments. Chewed leaves and dark frass on the leaf below give them away.","action":"Plant more milkweed if they run out; do not move them indoors unless you know how to raise them cleanly."},{"key":"pupa","label":"Chrysalises","months":[7,8,9],"term":1,"value":4,"look":"Jade-green chrysalis with a line of gold dots, hanging from a silk pad under leaves, fence rails, and eaves near milkweed.","action":"Leave it. It darkens and shows the wings the day before emergence."},{"key":"adult","label":"Adults","months":[6,7,8,9,10],"term":1,"value":2,"look":"Orange with black veins and white-spotted black borders. In September and October, migrants stream south along shorelines and cluster in trees at dusk.","action":"Fuel them with goldenrod, asters, and Joe Pye weed. Report to Journey North."}]}}}