I Was Told to Kill This Beautiful Bug by the Government While on Vacation

I recently just came home from a beautiful vacation with my family in Pennsylvania. I was born there and we visit often. This year it was the most special trip because we brought our son, Bentley, along on his very first road-trip to PA.

We had a blast. But this article in not about our vacation. It is about something that happened while we were there.

As I was walking in downtown Easton at Centre Square, my son and I noticed this gorgeous "butterfly". We were astonished at it's gray wings and black spots with red body. She was sunning on the side of a building, just chilling, with her knock-out little body, when we suddenly then noticed another one a few feet down.

Bentley and I were happy to have seen a new species of butterfly and then moved on with our fantastic vacation.

When we were having dinner at my Aunt and Uncles house we told them about these beautiful creatures and they all said, "Wait, you didn't kill it?"

They then explained to us what was up. These beautiful butterfly creatures that we were so excited about are actually called Spotted Lantern Moths, according to Planet Princeton. 

They are destructive and have become a wicked pest. So wicked that the State of Pennsylvania the people know that they should kill these moths if they see them.

I don't know if they've been spotted in Maine yet, but I am sure that with so many other pests, these guys will make their way up here as well.

According to Gothamist, 

The messaging is clear: If you see a Spotted Lanternfly, you must destroy it.

While the invasive pest—a planthopper, which cannot actually fly too far—does not cause a direct threat to humans, it can be destructive to our surroundings and quality of life. In addition to infesting trees, they are considered a threat to a wide range of agricultural crops.

So apparently, what Bentley and I saw as a beautifully outstanding spotted butterfly, is in actuality a destructive pest that needs to be eliminated.

So the question is, did I kill while I was there? No, I don't have the heart. Also, these guys are huge and it would've grossed me out.

Be on the look-out for these suckers. Because as it went with the Brown Tail Moth, it will also be, with the Spotted Lantern.