Spotted Lanternfly inTalbot County, MDSPOTTED LANTERNFLY GUIDE

Talbot County sits at the heart of Maryland's Chesapeake Bay Eastern Shore, with Easton serving as the county seat and regional commercial center. SLF was confirmed in 2024, with US-50 running directly through Easton as the chief introduction vector connecting the county to the Bay Bridge corridor and the infested western shore. The Choptank River — one of the Eastern Shore's most ecologically significant waterways — flows along the county's southern boundary and through Cambridge, providing riparian habitat that readily supports Tree of Heaven and enables insect movement along the water's edge. Historic waterfront towns like St. Michaels, Oxford, and Tilghman Island attract heavy summer tourist and boating traffic from the western shore, creating additional pathways for SLF egg masses hitchhiking on boats, trailers, and outdoor equipment. The county's agricultural economy — including soft-shell crab operations, oyster aquaculture, and grain farming — faces real risks from SLF feeding damage to host trees and the honeydew mold that can compromise outdoor harvesting operations.