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Is this scale insect or a caterpillar?
Aleksandra Grudka
Posts: 10
I noticed brown patches ‘attached’ to my young alder tree... they look like magnified scale insects but when I peeled a spot off, it was a home of some tiny caterpillar... some leaves have smaller spots with nothing in them. Attached is a photo. Are these innocent creepy crawlers or something that needs acting upon? 
0
Posts
There are some google images here of leaf mining caterpillars that may help you identify which one you have. It's difficult to see the little fella in the photo
https://www.google.com/search?q=leaf+miner+caterpillar&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiX-a3A89TiAhWzUhUIHThtABIQ_AUIECgB&biw=1920&bih=1057
Billericay - Essex
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
that definitely is the exact critter on my alder.
Its only a dozen leaves that are suffering. I will try the usual Bug Clear Ultra followed by Neem oil spray as deterrent. ( btw: been oil for Box Moth Caterpillar did the trick this year!)
Im amazed with all the helpful people out there - it was my first ever post on GW and replies came rolling in almost immediately! Thank you.