Something is eating my bougainvillea also; so this morning I called a nursery who said he had received lots of similar calls from people whose bushes had similar symptoms. Part of a leaf gets papery thin and loses color. Another leaf has jagged holes in the leaf and sometimes a semi-circle eaten-from-the-edge hole. Sometimes the whole branch shrivels up and dies. And sometimes the leaves fall off, but the branch puts out new growth, which is later eaten. This cycle has repeated itself for 2 years. The nursery guy says it's caterpillars who feed at night and he gave me the name of several insecticides. 1. Monterey BT 2. Spinosad 3. Malathion Close inspection shows a small piece of web, and perhaps an egg. I'll be out tonight with a flashlight looking for caterpillars, meanwhile a friend is coming over with a sprayer and Malathion in a few days. Stay tuned. from PoorMimi

where are you ... whats the weather been... how do you care for it.. in terms of water ... how long has it been potted.... do you fert .... its usually my position.. that a plant that is flowering.. cant be all that unhappy .... but it MIGHT need some fert .. in the proper season.. which might not be winter ... if so.. i would use 1/4 strength with each watering ... but dont jump that gun yet ... when is the last time you changed out the media... it might be wearing out ... ken

My bougainvillea is almost 1 year old and looks semi-dead. Does it look over watered, underwatered or just unhappy in a container?

Probably bougainvillea loopers - caterpillars. http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/GARDEN/PLANTS/INVERT/bougainloop.html#:~:text=Bougainvillea%20looper%E2%80%94%20Disclisioprocta%20stellata,moving%20their%20front%20legs%20forward.