Oh, thank you so much York Rose in particular. Yes I researched after your reply and found out more about this June Bug. They are the ugly fat grub buggers that we kept finding in the soil this last Winter/Spring season. I did not know if they were baddens or not. Now we know, and we will rid. But my gosh the June Bug itself is very interesting to look at. I now realize that they were probably the culprits that could divulge just about a whole leaf on my Daturas overnight. Interesting what you learn. Oh and thanks again for your kind comments on my pictures. I adore the macro on my camera, though my husband said, I was practically touching the creature with my lens when I took those shots! Oops! Thanks again. Pauline - Vancouver Island. PS Mexicanhat. Website was when we had our B&B business. It is gone now, though I do miss it. Would love to have another, "personal" one - garden related of course. It is on my wish list along with more roses! :)

Kristi...about the parasitic wasps: the adult wasp inserts her eggs under the skin of the unsuspecting caterpillar. There, the eggs hatch and the young larvae feed on the inards of the caterpillar hosts, starting with the less important parts and saving the essential organs for last. As the caterpiller is dying, the wasp larvae is ready to pupate. Those 'cocoons' on the bodies of the caterpillar are the silken cocoons made by the larvae. They will turn into adult wasps inside, emerging when they are ready to fly away. You just had the process turned around. ;-) I'm curious, too, as to what the heck those little things are!

Looks like one of the Buprestid beetles, to me, an adult. They're tree borers. Attached is an image from Bug Guide. Looks similiar to yours, though there are hundreds of varieties. Here is a link that might be useful:

Uncertain what is happening in the 1st image you posted. Can you add a closer view of the damage? In the added images - - - The first large brown spot is sunscald. Brown areas in other images is insufficient water sometime in the past. You now live in a hot, dry region with dry summers. Depending upon where you moved from, you may need to relearn irrigation practices..