#lanternflies

Vespula sp. (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) and Lycorma delicatula (Hemiptera: Fulgoridae)

Yellowjacket and spotted lanternfly

Avispa chaqueta amarilla y la mosca linterna manchada

9 of September 2025 — Pennsylvania, USA

Longan lanternfly (Pyrops candelaria). The Natural History of Insects; In Two Volumes. Vol. II. 1835.

i thought it would be neat if in the Disney fairies world, if instead of those sharp transparent wings they all have, if they had insect wings, and what type was based on your talent. so I was brainstorming.

tinker talents would have cicada wings. mostly bc I think they look the most like the original design of tinker bell's wings. and also my brain says that cicadas are loud and that tinkers make a lot of noise when they're working.

animal (and other fauna related) talents would have all kinds of butterfly wings. i like the ones with eyespots bc that's like 2 animals in one (the bug and the animal they're imitating)

garden (and other flora related) talents would have katydid wings bc they look like leaves

light talents would have lanternfly wings. i feel like some people would think to go with firefly wings, but they're just kinda plain tiny black elytra with an outline and transparent wings. that doesn't scream "light" to me. these yellow lanternfly wings look like glowing spots on a black background, like an art piece of fireflies flying in the dark

water talents would have iridescent fly wings. some fly larvae live in the water. idk it makes sense to me

fast-flyers would have dragonfly wings, of course, bc dragonflies are literally the fastest flyers of all insects

pixie dust talents would have moth wings. i specifically like these shiny yet plain wings, but of course any style works. also I headcanon that queen clarion was a pixie dust talent before becoming the queen, and her wings are a comet moth's

scouts would have wasp wings, and different service talents (like the specific niche ones seen in the books) would have bee wings

i hit the image limit, but kitchen talents (baking etc) would have roach wings, different arts and crafts talents would have mantis wings (like flower mantis!), and ice/snow/frost talents would have beetle wings, with the elytra to protect them from the cold. ok that's all my brain can think of lol

If you live in the northeast United States, then you’ve probably seen or at least heard of these guys. The Spotted Lanternfly. Or Lycorma delicatula.

They’ve been rapidly expanding and growing in population and while their presence is too new to know the exact impact they have on our native flora, they seem to pose a major threat to the apple and grape industries. They also excrete a honeydew that leads to mold growth on the plants they feed on.

So the states have put out this message to the public: “If you see it, smush it.”

And while I understand the need to be ruthless in invasive species response, I hope that people aren’t associating all lanternflies with this “bad bug” label.

So right now I’d like to showcase some cool/interesting species of lanternflies (the family name is Fulgoridae) in their native habitats :)

Peanut-Headed Lanternfly (Fulgora laternaria)

No Common Name (Phrictus diadema)

Malagasy Lantern Bug (Zanna madagascariensis)

No Common Name (Pyrops delessertii)

No Common Name (Kalidaysa lanata)

No Common Name (Pyrops intricatus)

Wax-Tailed Planthopper (Lystra lanata)

Pyrops viridirostris, a planthopper, sits on a tree in Laos