The Times Union is reporting the state Department of Environmental Conservation is warning New Yorkers of the presence of a new invasive species. The spotted lantern fly, an invasive pest from Asia, could affect the state's forests as well as the agricultural and tourism industries. The insect primarily feeds on tree of heaven, but can also feed on more than 70 other plants, including grapevine, hops, maple, walnut, fruit trees and others. Nymphs are black with white spots and turn red before transitioning into adults. They can be seen as early as April. Adults begin to appear in July and are approximately 1 inch long and ½ inch wide at rest, with eye-catching, multi-color wings. Feeding on a plant by large numbers of of spotted lanternflies stresses the plants, making them more vulnerable to disease. The insects also excrete large amounts of sticky honeydew, which attracts sooty molds that interfere with plant photosynthesis, which in turn, affects the plants' growth and fruit yields. The insect was first discovered in Pennsylvania in 2014 and has since been found in New Jersey, Delaware and Virginia. Read the full story in the Times Union.