Volunteers To Tackle Spotted Lanternfly Problem Areas At Loudoun Wineries, More Locations

LOUDOUN COUNTY, VA — As the invasive spotted lanternfly spreads in Loudoun County and other places in Virginia, it prefers to feed on the invasive Tree of Heaven. Its next target? Vineyards and orchards.

In an effort to protect Loudoun County's winery and orchard businesses, a volunteer effort called Scrape for the Grape is being organized by Visit Loudoun, the Virginia Cooperative Extension, the wineries of Loudoun and the Loudoun Invasive Removal Alliance (LIRA) on Saturday, April 6. LIRA is a group of homeowners associations (HOAs) representing an estimated 200,000 residents, or nearly half of the county's population.

The volunteer event will focus on scraping egg masses and marking Tree of Heaven for future removal at selected sites in Loudoun County. Wineries will be among the sites volunteers work at. But Mike Littman, LIRA leader and board member at the Ashburn Village HOA, told Patch there will also be a large focus on Leesburg's s Ida Lee Park, as well as four other locations in Leesburg, where the spotted lanternflies' presence has become a nuisance.

"There are large, mature Tree of Heaven in Leesburg that are attracting the Spotted Lanternflies," said Littman.

The spotted lanternfly is an invasive insect from Asia that first was seen in the U.S. in 2014 in Pennsylvania. Since then, it has spread to several other states, including Virginia starting in 2018. Some Virginia counties are under a quarantine, which means businesses must inspect goods to ensure they don't contain spotted lanternflies. Loudoun County is not under the quarantine, but neighboring Prince William County, Clarke County and some other localities are.

Nevertheless, spotted lanternflies are a concern in Loudoun County. The spotted lanternfly can pose risks to crops like grapes, apples, peaches and hops as well as become a nuisance to residents in large numbers, according to the Virginia Cooperative Extension. Littman believes spotted lanternflies will spread further into other areas of the county.

"I have yet to see them in Ashburn, but it's only a matter of time," Littman said.

As Visit Loudoun is promoting the Loudoun County wine industry's 40th anniversary, it is working with the Loudoun Invasive Removal Alliance, Loudoun Virginia Cooperative Extension's Beth Sastre and affected businesses to make spotted lanternfly egg mass removal a priority. Littman said spotted lanternfly eggs will hatch in the next few weeks, and each egg mass could contain up to 50 eggs.

At Saturday's Scrape for the Grape, volunteers who sign up will be assigned to a location either in the Leesburg area or western Loudoun County. According to Littman, groups of 15 to 25 people will work to remove the egg masses.

Tree of Heaven removal is another priority. Not only is the Tree of Heaven the spotted lanternflies' preferred host, but it also contains toxins that deter spotted lanternflies' natural predators like birds, Littman says. Volunteers will mark Tree of Heaven trees for removal at a later time.

A large majority of Scrape for the Grape volunteers are affiliated with homeowners associations, but residents do not need to belong to a homeowners association to volunteer. Volunteers are asked to sign up by Friday, April 5.

"We've already got a few hundred people signed up, and are reaching capacity, but we can likely take on a few more," Littman said. "It’s such a great event that is bringing Eastern Loudoun and Western Loudoun together for a good cause. People want to get involved."

There is an extra incentive for volunteers. Select wineries will have discounts and other offers on April 6 and 7 to show thanks to volunteers for removing spotted lanternflies. Volunteers will need to show their bandana to receive the offer. Children who participate can receive a free cookie from Mom’s Apple Pie Bakery in Leesburg.

Participating wineries with offers include:

• Zephaniah Farm Vineyards: 20 percent discount on bottle purchases
• Bluemont Vineyard: Free complimentary tasting, either in the 951 Tasting Room or Reserve Tasting Room, plus 15 percent off all food/wine
• Willowcroft Farm Vineyards: Free regular tastings for each volunteer
• Cana Vineyards: Free bonus pour of the 2019 Le Mariage (a 2022 VA Governor’s Cup Gold Medal Winner
• October One: Free tasting of the 2023 O1V Sparking Viognier
• Walsh Family Wine: 50 percent off wine flight
• Good Spirit Farm Winery: 50 percent off wine flight or glass
• Terra Nebulo Vineyards: 25 percent off all wine-tastings, glasses and bottles
• Hidden Croft Vineyards: 20 percent discount off all bottles
• Bleu Frog Vineyards: 10 percent discount on all wines and beers.
• Bozzo Family Vineyards: 10 percent discount.
• Fabbioli Cellars: 10 percent discount on all wines.
• 866 Estate Vineyards: 10 percent off wine and food purchases

Littman hopes the event will make residents more aware about invasive species like the spotted lanternfly.

"Realistically, we're only going to make a dent in the population. We're not going to have volunteers climbing trees to get the egg masses in the tree canopy. This campaign is about awareness," said Littman.

The Loudoun Invasive Removal Alliance was conceived early last year by a few HOA landscaping committee leads, mostly current and former Loudoun County Master Gardeners, and then quickly swelled to 36 HOAs. The group is seeking county support to help tackle invasive species.

"The HOAs are overrun with invasive plants, mostly planted by developers due to their low cost, fast growing and attractive traits," said Littman. "We just can't tackle the issue ourselves at this point."

The group has worked on other efforts to address invasive species. On the state level, Littman said he was disappointed that Gov. Glenn Youngkin vetoed a bill that would ban invasive English ivy sales. Whereas neighboring states like Delaware, have banned the sale of over 40 invasive plants by retailers, Virginia has yet to ban any invasives, compounding the issue of their spread. On Tuesday, the governor also vetoed a bipartisan bill that would require invasive species to be identified in sales to customers with a penalty for violations.

On the county level, the Board of Supervisors approved $250,000 to study the scope of creating a program for invasive species removal and is considering funding a grant program to address the issue in Loudoun, Littman said. Several groups have expressed interest in running the potential grant program that could help HOAs and property owners with invasive species removal.

More information about how to signup for Scrape for the Grape this Saturday can be found at www.loudouninvasives.com.