These photos where taken during my morning walks. I first noticed this butterfly or moth of some sort on an Agoho Tree (Casuarina equisetifolia). These trees line up the roadside where I had my walk and the almost all the bigger ones had this creatures on them mostly near the base of the tree. They are a bit hard to notice especially if you are not particularly looking for them for they blend so well to the bark of the trees.
At first I thought there is only one in each tree because that was my first observation and they can only be found on the trunks of Agoho Trees. There were other trees lining up the roadside but so far I haven't noticed these winged creatures on them.
Then on one of my walks at the park, I happened to notice two of these on a trunk of an Agoho Tree again but this time they were at eye level. I then checked the rest of the trees lining up the park if I can find these creatures other than Agoho Trees. So far, I have found none. I then concluded that they are not solitary creatures as what I have thought earlier.
As you can see from the photos above, the outer wing has a white band dividing it with the lower part darker in color but the entire wing has spots on them which are of different patterns. It reminds me of a a picture of the sea or ocean complete with waves.
I notices there it has an outline of red and it also has a red face.
With the help of Google, turns out this is neither a butterfly nor a moth but rather a planthopper. As beautiful as it may be, yet it is destructive.
I was looking at the photos of this insect online and they are much more beautiful if their wings are spread out. It has a beautiful under wing. See here.
I found out from a study published that not only were they found on Agoho Trees but also on Alnus Trees (Alnus japonica). According to that study, they were seen in Botanical Garden. There were some Alnus Trees at Burnham Park but so far I have not seen these insects on them.
Lanternflies are native to Asia and has spread to the rest of the world. They are invasive insects that's why they are considered pests. Nature is really full of ironies and mysteries. It makes you wonder why some insects are created beautifully yet they are destructive.
