Will need photo and more info to even begin to guess could be many things...Japanese beetles come to mind but I don't kbnow if you have them up there ...and they ussually stick around so It is a little hard to believe you wouldn't have seen them...probably the best thing to use is seven spray it is not especially dangerous when used sparingly.It wiill kill; bees though.but will likely do the trick ... there are lots of organic stuff you can try but I have never had much luck with any of them mostly vodoo science IMHO...also BT is great if it's a catepiller/worm...it's a bacteria that infects them perfectly harmless to us and other animals and bugs...anyway good luck...but I doubt it is anything inside the leaf, that wiould be a new one on me ;>)...most likely an insect of some sort.David

I have a similar problem with my Jap. Purple Maple. Leaves have dried out and are withering away. The tree was fine 4-5 days ago. The only thing that looks suspicious to me is an apparent gnawing at the bottom part of the tree trunk. Is there an insect or something that commonly attacks crape myrtles? Can I save it???

Thanks!

What both posters are asking is a little bit like posting that they have a stomach ache and what should be done for it - the possible causes for the not very well described symptoms are endless :-) It could be as simple as something they ate or as complicated as stomach cancer. It is impossible to tell exactly what's wrong without clear visual evidence of the problem as well as a more detailed explanation of how and when the problem developed.

If posting photos are not possible, take samples into your local extension office for diagnosis. You must identify any insect causing problems before you can treat for them successfully. What controls Japanese beetles, for example, may have no effect on caterpillars and vice versa. FWIW, I'd be very careful about spraying a Japanese maple with any insecticide......they have quite sensitive foliage and many foliar sprays can create a phytotoxic reaction that could be worse than the insect problem.

Hello pickles

I live in the greater Boston area, not too far from you. Last year (spring 2008) the caterpillars (little green inch worms) DESTROYED my Japanese maples. I bought some BT and applied it 2-3 times this year, and hardly saw any of these little guys around.

Look on the bottoms of leaves for them. Also, they curl up inside the leaves to build a cocoon.

BT is great; it's not a chemical, just a bacteria that grows in the caterpillars' stomachs, and is harmless to all other critters.

By the way - when my leaves were all eaten up I increased my watering and a second set of leaves came in.

What is BT?

My maple's leaves had the same thing happen BUT realized that I over fertilized it and it gets too much of the hot afternoon sun which burnt the leaves. So far it is coming back and looks better this season than it did last year. If you have a good nursery with expert gardeners you can pull some leaves off and take it in and ask them what they recommend.

I have two Japanese maples in my yard. I have never seen this or heard of anything like it. Every morning I open the blinds and more damage is done. I believe it to be squirrels. Stripping the leaves and snapping off branches. There is no evidence left behind. My 4 year old maple is almost completely demolished. I think it is now moving over to the other one. Anyone ever heard of this? I am probably going to chicken wire the whole thing.