Now is the time for homeowners to protect their trees from the invasive spotted lanternfly (SLF). From egg cases that were dormant over the winter, distinctive nymphs are emerging — small, black, with a random pattern of white spots covering their bodies. In a later stage, the nymphs become mostly red and black. Nymphs cannot fly, they crawl (and they can jump!), and will travel up and down the trunks of the trees. They feed by sucking out the sap of the tree, weakening it, and over time potentially killing it.