Help! Something is eating my Redbud tree. The leaves all look like big bites have been taken out of them. It is still young and I don't want to lose it. Any ideas?

Do they really look like bites? Like curved edges perfectly cut? Not the whole leaf but just a scoured out section? That could be a leaf cutter bee, who is lining her nest with soft new leaves. But 3/4 of the leaves are left behind and it doesn't seem to hurt the whole tree.

Or are they chewed with teeth marks, like something is grazing it? Deer aren't supposed to eat Red Bud, but you can't trust deer. But if deer aren't an issue where you are, could it be a rabbit?

Are the edges torn that look like celery strings? That's a sign of grazing, ripping it off.

Or do you mean like a little bug is eating the leaf until parts of it are see-through? Is there any sign of the little bugs underneath the leaf? What's the pattern/shape of the eaten part?

You can spray it with a garlic/chili pepper tea. Put those in a blender with water, strain it into a sprayer. Add a little horticultural oil in the sprayer to make it stick. That repels larger animals and some bugs.

If it rains you'll need to repeat this maybe once a week.

sweetpea, I love your descriptions. Puts the picture right in front of me.

B-)

LOL...I hope you're sitting down, those are terrifying descriptions to gardeners!!! :^O

The leaf cutter bee description fits! Thank you. Poor tree looks ghastly, however it is encouraging to know that it should survive. Thank you very much for your help.