Winchell

The following morning, two men approached a taxi driver sitting in a parking lot outside a Winchell’s Donut House in Carson around 5:15 a.m., federal officials said.

The colorful but harmful insects became a common sight in New York City in 2020 -- which wasn't surprising to Kristin Winchell, an assistant professor of biology at NYU who studies ecology and evolution in urban environments.

"Cities tend to have milder winters, creating favorable conditions for species that otherwise would only be able to live in hot, tropical climates," explained Winchell.

"Finally, urban environments aren't very friendly to a lot of native species, so you have a degraded ecological community that creates opportunities for new species to come in," said Winchell.

Upon joining NYU in 2022 -- a time when spotted lanternflies were abundant in New York City -- Winchell and her team grew curious about the spread of lanternflies in the US and whether urbanization was playing a role in the invasion.