Spotted Lanternfly Dress-Up Guide
Hop into action as one of the most visually striking insects in nature: the famous Spotted Lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula)! Despite its name, this fascinating creature isn't a fly or a moth at all—it’s actually a super-hopping planthopper equipped with a straw-like beak and incredible secret wings!
When resting on a tree trunk, the Spotted Lanternfly blends in with calm, pinkish-tan wings speckled with neat black polka dots. But when it leaps into the air, it unfolds its hindwings to reveal a brilliant flash of scarlet red, white, and black! Let's build a stunning costume to showcase this insect's secret splash of color!
Put on your black top and yellow-and-black striped leggings or skorts (or wrap a striped yellow sash around your middle) to form the striped abdomen. Add this red shirt with black polka dots.
Top it off with the gray hoodie with black polka dots to mimic the upper wings. If crafting wings at home using plain cloth, draw solid black dots on the upper two-thirds of tan fabric and a crisscross grid pattern on the bottom third.
For the eyes, try these goth red glasses.
Attach the Secret Crimson Hindwings: Fasten the bright red wing layer directly onto your back or shoulders. This layer stays hidden under your top cape until you pop your arms open!
Layer the Tan Spotted Forewings: Drape the tan spotted cape over the red wings. Draw neat black dots on the top half and fine black grid lines on the wingtips using a fabric marker!
Add the Planthopper Headband & Straw: Pop on your headband with black antennae. Hold a funny black smoothie straw as your sap-sipping beak (rostrum)!
Spotted Lanternfly Facts
Not a Fly or Moth
Spotted Lanternflies are "true bugs" (Hemiptera) and planthoppers! They don't bite or sting, but use a piercing beak (rostrum) to sip sweet sap from trees.
They Poop Sugar!
They eat sugary sap and poop out sugar that feeds the fungi. But the fungi then block out the sun, killing the plant since it cannot photosynthesize.
Two-Tone Wing Secret
The outer wings (forewings) are dusty tan with black spots and brick-like grid tips. Underneath lie secret lower wings (hindwings) colored fiery scarlet red with black spots, a white stripe, and dark tips! Beneath its wings, the lanternfly’s body features bold horizontal yellow and black stripes.
Champion High-Jumpers
Instead of flying long distances, planthoppers use super-powered back legs to launch themselves high into the air like mini catapults!
Tree of Heaven Fanatics
Their favorite host plant is the Tree of Heaven, though they also love sipping sap from wild grapevines and maple trees.
Play The Planthopper Pop & Scarlet Flash Game
Planthoppers don't fly long distances like butterflies—they crouch down on tree trunks and use their super-spring legs to catapult high into the air, flashing bright red wings to startle predators!
How to Play:
Camouflage Crouching: All players crouch low near a couch or tree trunk with tan or gray wings folded tightly over their red under wings. This is because lanternflies congregate next to each other by the hundreds.
The Tree Inspector: A parent or leader acts as the "Tree Inspector" walking along with a magnifying glass.
3-2-1 PLANTHOPPER POP! The leader shouts "PLANTHOPPER POP!" On count three, all the kids jump as high as they can into the air!
SCARLET FLASH! In mid-air, jumpers throw their arms wide open to open their tan capes and flash their brilliant red hindwings while shouting "RED FLASH!"
Tree Trunk Landing: Land softly on two feet and instantly fold tan wings back over the red capes to go invisible again!
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