On May 12, 2025 the Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) was made aware of an online report from iNaturalist sharing an image of a single early instar nymph (i.e. immature) spotted lanternfly (SLF) Lycorma delicatula at Colonel Summers Park in Portland, Oregon. That same week the ODA, USDA Animal Plant Health and Inspection Service Plant Protection and Quarantine (USDA APHIS PPQ), and Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) conducted visual surveys in Colonel Summers Park and the surrounding neighborhood. The goal of the survey was to find any sign of SLF, set monitoring traps, and conduct outreach with neighborhood residents. After two survey efforts no sign of SLF were found, thus the iNaturalist report is not confirmed.
ODA and USDA APHIS PPQ will continue to conduct visual surveys and trap the area around the park at regular intervals over the coming weeks. Until the ODA has collected a physical specimen and has it officially confirmed as SLF by USDA APHIS PPQ, SLF is not considered to be present in Oregon.
Although ODA has not documented any living populations of SLF in Oregon, agency staff have intercepted multiple dead adult SLF and a live egg mass on incoming equipment from outside of Oregon in recent years. These interceptions highlight the risk of introducing SLF into Oregon, as rail cars, trucks, other cargo, and even personal vehicles move from infested states to the West, where SLF is not known to occur. SLF poses an ecological and economic threat since it attacks a wide range of plant species. Most notable agricultural industries that would be impacted are the grapevine and nursery industries. SLF is known to exist in 18 states in the mid-western and eastern part of the United States. You may find more state specific information on SLF by visiting the USDA AHPIS PPQ spotted lantern fly website or the ODA spotted lanternfly webpage.
ODA asks that the public report any potential sightings of SLF on the Oregon Invasive Species hotline. Please include location details, clear photographs, and collect a specimen where possible. You can also report directly to the ODA by email plant-entomologists@oda.oregon.gov or by phone at 503-986-4636.
Source: Oregon Department of Agriculture