The Invasive Species Centre is inviting grape and tender fruit growers, winery owners and managers, horticulturalists, foresters, outdoor hobbyists, post-secondary students and the public to take part in its Protect the Greenbelt from Spotted Lanternfly workshop. Its program development co-ordinator, Emily Posteraro, will be hosting the workshop on Thursday evening at the Fonthill branch of Lincoln Pelham Public Library to provide warnings about the spotted lanternfly. The destructive invasive plant-hopper has spread across the northeastern United States, posing an “immediate threat to agriculture and the environment in southern Ontario,” said the centre in a media release.
Feeding in high numbers on more than a hundred plant species, with a strong preference for grapevines, the spotted lanternfly disrupts the flow of sugars needed by the plant, which can “significantly weaken and sometimes kill grapevines.” “The pest also targets black walnut and maple trees, and would impact the grape and wine, tender fruit, horticulture and forestry industries, as well as outdoor recreation and plant health more broadly,” said the centre. The workshop, with support from the Greenbelt Foundation, offers people potentially impacted with an opportunity to learn about the impacts of the spotted lanternfly, how to identify and report the insect and how to reduce its spread.
A presentation will be given by the centre, followed by a question-and-answer period. The 90-minute workshop s.