ROANOKE, Va. – Trees of Heaven, a common sight throughout Southwest Virginia, are attracting an equally problematic invasive species - the spotted lanternfly, according to local tree experts. According to the Virginia Invasive Species Council, these towering trees can grow up to 80 feet tall and produce numerous wind-born seeds, making them one of the most widespread weed trees along roadsides and in natural areas.
“The spotted lanternfly made its way into the U.S. in 2014. And in recent years, we’ve seen some evidence of them this year,” says Carrie Poff, owner of Brown Hound Tree Service. “As most of my clients have noticed, they are just rampant and covering the trunks of their host tree, which is the tree of heaven.”
Michigan State University Extension provides several key characteristics to identify Tree of Heaven:
The bark’s appearance changes with age:
- Young trees have smooth, thin bark that is light brown to greenish-gray with small, lighter spots
- Large, heart- or V-shaped leaf scars appear along the stem
- Mature trees develop darker gray bark with an interwoven or diamond pattern
- The oldest trees have bark resembling elephant skin or cantaloupe rind
According to the Virginia Invasive Species Council, the tree can be identified by its compound leaves that resemble native sumac and walnut species. The flowers, leaves, and wood give off a distinctive odor often described as similar to rotting peanuts.
The Tree of Heaven’s presence in America dates back centuries. According to Michigan State University Extension, it was originally introduced to the United States in the late 1700s as an ornamental species from England, and was later brought to California by Chinese immigrants who valued it for medicinal purposes.
For Douglas Jackson, the discovery of Trees of Heaven in his yard came as a surprise after two decades of homeownership. “I’ve lived in my house 21 years and I didn’t know I had Tree of Heaven,” Jackson says. “My neighbor called me and said that he noticed that his plants were dying and there was a branch of an old tree that went over his yard.”
The tree’s age and appearance had masked its true identity. “The tree was really big. It had probably been there 80 years or so,” Jackson explains. “When I had always thought of Tree of Heaven, I thought of it as these kind of young upstarts that are invasive that you see along the side of the highway.”
“They are attracted to this tree and other trees like it that have a sweet sap because they are sap-sucking insects,” Poff explains. “They have a proboscis that they’ll insert into the phloem under the outer bark and that is where they feast.”
The relationship between these invasive species creates a destructive chain reaction. “When the bugs eat anything sappy, they excrete something called honeydew, which is a really, really sticky substance that people will see on their vehicles or on their sidewalks,” Poff says. “The sap, in turn, will attract other insects like wasps and different kinds of ants.”
What makes the Tree of Heaven particularly problematic is its aggressive reproduction rate. Michigan State University Extension researchers note that a single mature tree can produce more than 350,000 seeds per year, and even one-year-old trees can produce seeds. The Virginia Invasive Species Council reports that the tree produces chemicals that inhibit the growth of other plants, giving it a competitive advantage in the environment.
Jackson’s decision to remove the trees came from multiple concerns. “Of course, when my neighbor texted me and he sent me some pictures and some video, I was out of town. And of course, it was pretty disturbing. And I want to be a good neighbor,” he says. “I really didn’t want the spotted lanternfly to get into the black walnut tree. And so it seemed like the best thing to do was to take it out and try and keep them from coming back.”
However, removing these trees requires specific expertise. “When you go to cut that tree down, especially if it’s a female of the species, she will fight back with a vengeance and put up a ton of new growth from her roots,” Poff warns.
Prevention and Early Detection
Jackson now advises neighbors to be vigilant about early signs of infestation. “One thing I do remember last year, pulling up one of those little saplings, very small sapling that I thought was a black walnut, and seeing a white substance on the little tiny stem. And I think those were eggs,” he recalls. “If people see those now, it’s probably a good time to get out in your yard and look and see if you see any sign of those eggs and scrape those off.”
Poff confirms the importance of egg removal: “If we find any of these egg sacs, we want to scrape and push on it while we scrape, which kind of smushes the eggs inside of it, and then dispose of that in a sealed bag, preferably with like rubbing alcohol or hand sanitizer.”
How to Identify Spotted Lanternfly Eggs
Residents should look for:
- Brownish-gray, crusty patches that look like mud
- Deposits on trees, lawn furniture, or rock walls
- Each mass contains 40-50 eggs
- Eggs will survive cold temperatures and hatch in spring
For proper tree removal and treatment, Poff recommends professional intervention: “The best treatment to try to keep these trees from coming back is to have the right chemical applied... You want to put it down in 20 to 30 minutes before it starts to kind of seal itself over.”