If you can post a photo and tell us where you live, it would be a big help in answering your question. Also, is the tree in a container, or planted inground.

i would say either caterpillar or grasshopper most likely. either way you will probably have to catch them in the act.

Mike

Picture required! Doesn't sound like catetpillar or grasshopper damage to me...but a decent picture would make a big difference.

Thanks guys. I live in St. Louis, MO. Well, Illinois side now but it started when I was on the Missouri side of the river.

Here's the pics.

{{gwi:601562}}

{{gwi:601563}}

The pattern does not look like any bug damage to me. It looks like someone spread on chemical or the mechamical demadge where the leave was caught in between two heavy objects.

Well, I know it's not mechanical because, the tree was just sitting on my apartment balcony and there was nothing to cause that kind of damage on leaves on different points of the tree. I don't think it's chemical because every leaf that has it, the lines go straight across the leaf, and there was a lime tree sitting just inches away that, I believe, only had one leaf with this marking.

Very odd, Bob. It does look like mechanical damage to me, too. I would watch your tree to see if it sustains further damage. If so, I would go out in the evening/early night and see if you can spy an insect or bug causing this. Or, you can send your photos into your local extension service to see if they have any ideas? Very strange.

Patty S.

Can we see the underside of the leaf?

I have this same thing occasionally on my garden Meyers; I think it is caused by a small worm (maybe a baby inchworm?); but I don't know for sure because when you see this damage the worm is gone. I have the same issue, but a larger worm that does this to my Canna lilly leaves; both are rather small populations and only affect a few leaves. They don't seem to cause any other damage; so I don't stress about it; still I am curious to know what it is.