Went off for a week and am catching up on all of my plants. My Limelight Hydrangea is eaten at the tips and down the stems--no flowers will be forthcoming. Like a big caterpillar or worm has eaten the total leaf off to the stem nub. I checked out the whole plant and couldn't find the culprit. Have looked on the internet. Does anyone have a suggestion as to what may like to chow down on this hydrangea? The Annabelle 20ft away was fine.

I have about 15 other varieties of hydrangea in my yard and have never had a pest problem. I have several butterfly weed plants for the Monarch butterfly larva and they were also being munched on but I saw that I had early Monarch larva on those plants which is unusual because they don't usually get this far south this early in the season. I wonder if some were blown off course or parents were used at a wedding??

I hate to spray if it is going to be a butterfly or pretty moth. No Japanese beetles seen, not typical of deer browsing or rabbits. I will keep an eye out and let you know if I see the defoliator.