The Spotted Lanternfly (SLF) (Lycorma delicatula) is an introduced insect that has been spreading across New Jersey. SLF feeds on sap from a myriad of plants   including grapevines, maples, black walnut, birch and willow. SLF’s feeding damage stresses plants which can decrease their health and in some cases cause death. Starting in April of 2022, Dr. George Hamilton, a member of the entomology department at Rutgers University, began a project at the preserve examining the phenology of SLF on a variety of host plants including tree of heaven, wild cherry, and various maple species. The project involves conducting weekly three-minute visual searches of host tree and recording the number of life stages found from mid-April through mid-October. The data collected is being used to validate temperature-based phenology models developed by one of Dr. Hamilton’s graduate students.