Even Keeled

Photo by Ned Harris 10/23/2015

The orange critters on this Sacred Datura (Datura wrightii) are Keeled Treehoppers. Click on the photo and you may be able to just make out the wings (underneath the orange part) on the topmost Keeled Treehopper. These insects undergo 'incomplete' metamorphosis; i.e., they hatch from the egg, looking similar to their adult form (but generally smaller and always wingless), eat and shed, eat and shed, and so forth - at the final shed, they have their wings. And, as I am fond of repeating: In the insect world, adult have wings. (Not all insects use their wings to fly, however.) A great photo of treehopper nymphs on Margarethe's blog (scroll to Treehoppers).