I’ve looked around my yard but I’m not finding any aphids. Are there any plants in the forest I should look for or any tips on finding them?
I’m not an aphid expert, so take my comments with a grain of salt.
It might still be a little early in the year for many aphid species, given how cold it can still get in a month.
When I look at what aphids other people have found in New England (https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?taxon_id=52381&view=species), I’d say you should look at milkweeds, Common Witch-hazels, alders, sumacs, elms, and so on. The galls of many aphids are relatively easy to find, but the insects themselves might be hard. I’ve found lots of galls of the two common witch-hazel aphids, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen the insects themselves.
a lot of times i notice the ants hanging out near the aphids before i notice the aphids. if you see a lot of ants on a plant, look closer to see what they’re interested in (sometimes it’s not aphids, but stuff like scale insects or plant parts called ‘extrafloral nectaries’, etc.)
Lynn is right. It’s too early for aphids outside. The easiest ones to find are Oleander Aphids. They are bright orange, and found on most of our milkweed species starting in late July.