We’ve been swarmed over the past week with reports and photos of invasive spotted lanternflies descending upon Wellesley’s trees and plants.

Especially disturbing was a photo shared on social media of a tree at Centennial Reservation covered by lycorma delicatula, to get scientific about it.

This quarter-sized insect has gray wings with black spots and red underwings that are visible during flight. They’re pretty pests.

According to the Commonwealth’s Department of Agricultural Resources, spotted lanternflies damage trees (like the tree of heaven) and other woody plants by sucking their sap. The department informed Wellesley in 2023 about lanterflies at Carisbrooke Reservation, near the Weston line.

You can report sightings to the state online.

We’d come across a couple of lanternfly nymphs ourselves earlier this month in Natick. We are in peak spotted lanternfly season as the nymphs become adults.

Wellesley Natural Resources Director Brandon Schmitt says the town has alerted gardeners at both the Weston Road and Brookside Community Gardens, where the presence of spotted lanternflies has been observed.

“I’m not sure this is something new, except maybe now we are seeing them in greater numbers than before. The state has not changed any of their protocol or recommendations in terms of management, reporting, etc,” Schmitt says.

He adds that early stage research suggests the insects may not be as destructive to fruit and other tree species as once thought.

Residents are encouraged to remove invasive species, such as tree of heaven, that spotted lanterflies are attracted to, and the town tries to follow its own advice on that front, too.

“Folks are still encouraged to report sightings, squish the insects and scrape off egg masses when they can,” Schmitt says. The insects don’t bite or sting.