1.   I’m a wild, water-loving predator known for my playfulness.
black swallowwort boxelder broad-winged hawks eastern kingbird hermit thrush North American river otter Norway spruce raccoon spotted lanternfly sweet everlasting

2.   In the fall, you might spot many of us circling in “kettles” as we ride upward in rising warm air currents during our southward migration.
black swallowwort boxelder broad-winged hawks eastern kingbird hermit thrush North American river otter Norway spruce raccoon spotted lanternfly sweet everlasting

3.   I bloom early, in March-April, but in fall, I’m easy to spot because my maple-like dried seeds stay into the winter, long after my ash-like leaves have fallen.
black swallowwort boxelder broad-winged hawks eastern kingbird hermit thrush North American river otter Norway spruce raccoon spotted lanternfly sweet everlasting

4.   You might think I’m a colorful butterfly or moth, but no, I’m an invasive, sap-sucking insect that’s new to our region, and I lay eggs on an invasive tree, the tree-of-heaven (ailanthus, Ailanthus altissima).
black swallowwort boxelder broad-winged hawks eastern kingbird hermit thrush North American river otter Norway spruce raccoon spotted lanternfly sweet everlasting

5.   I’m shy and not very noticeable to see, but you might recognize my short bursts of echoing song when I return to woods in our region in April and forage on the ground.
black swallowwort boxelder broad-winged hawks eastern kingbird hermit thrush North American river otter Norway spruce raccoon spotted lanternfly sweet everlasting

6.   Do you think of me as nocturnal and worry that I’m sick if you spot me during the day? A local animal control officer notes that it’s normal for me to be out during the day, searching for food for my young in spring, or leaving my family as a youth in summer/fall.
black swallowwort boxelder broad-winged hawks eastern kingbird hermit thrush North American river otter Norway spruce raccoon spotted lanternfly sweet everlasting

7.   I’m royalty, with a white band at the tip of my tail, and I catch flies and other flying insects in mid-air.
black swallowwort boxelder broad-winged hawks eastern kingbird hermit thrush North American river otter Norway spruce raccoon spotted lanternfly sweet everlasting

8.   You can smell the scent of maple syrup if you crush my leaves or bud-like flowerheads, which last a long time.
black swallowwort boxelder broad-winged hawks eastern kingbird hermit thrush North American river otter Norway spruce raccoon spotted lanternfly sweet everlasting

9.   I’m a non-native tree with needles and cones, and have become naturalized in the local environment without disturbing its ecology.
black swallowwort boxelder broad-winged hawks eastern kingbird hermit thrush North American river otter Norway spruce raccoon spotted lanternfly sweet everlasting

10.   I’m an invasive vine with tiny, black, star-shaped flowers (1/3 inch), and I can cause problems for monarch butterflies because they lay eggs on me but their caterpillars fail to survive on me.
black swallowwort boxelder broad-winged hawks eastern kingbird hermit thrush North American river otter Norway spruce raccoon spotted lanternfly sweet everlasting