Does anyone know what type of insect causes this damage (shown here on my Shirazz today)? It happens in mid-late summer to a different degree to all my maples. They seem perfectly fine, just visually unappealing..
@Nik it looks like damage from the maple leafcutter (Paraclemensia acerifoliella). This is moth larvae that eats the leaves from within and gives the skeleton like appearance. They don't damage the tree which is a good thing. Next season keep an eye out for larvae, although they are very small and often hard to see.,
Thank you @Nik and @Acerholic. This insect has been known (though not by me) for over 100 years in BC too. I have seen similar damage and now I know what to blame.
Part of our routine back in the nursery days was to always observe for curled leaves in May / June while we did the morning watering. Always squished the insect knowing it would be inside a curled leaf. Old fashioned way to get rid of them, always worked and diminished their presence very quickly. The trees had to look spiffy when taking them to market!
