Blotches on leaves of young Wye Oak clone - Ask Extension
I planted this Wye Oak clone two years ago. It seems to be healthy but this blotches concern me.
I welcome any advice at your convenience. Thank yo...
Knowledgebase
Blotches on leaves of young Wye Oak clone #941626
Asked August 05, 2026, 2:16 PM EDT
I planted this Wye Oak clone two years ago. It seems to be healthy but this blotches concern me.
I welcome any advice at your convenience. Thank you.
Baltimore County Maryland
Expert Response
The damage doesn't look concerning, but it's hard to tell at this distance (and without a view of the leaf undersides) what the exact cause is. It most resembles feeding damage from oak slug sawfly larvae (refer to the linked page for images and more info), which do not cause serious harm to the tree, despite how prominent their feeding impacts can be. Predators will usually eat enough of them to reduce their numbers over time. Leaf scorch can't be ruled-out, but we'd expect to see it on more of the leaves (and usually more on the leaf edges than in the centers); it doesn't look like an infection, or stippling due to lace bug feeding, which can be another common insect pest (of little concern) on oaks.
For now, just monitor the plant for new or worsening symptoms and consider surrounding the trunk base with a zone of mulch to keep weeds away that compete with the sapling's roots for moisture and nutrients. If you use mulch, a 2- to 3-inch layer is all that's needed, and don't mound it up against the trunk (keep the trunk exposed). If deer can access this area, we do recommend protecting the sapling with a wire mesh/fencing cage so they cannot browse the foliage or (as it gets a bit older) rub antlers on the trunk, which can cause serious or fatal damage to a young tree.
Monitoring the tree for watering needs will also help it to establish with less stress and to tolerate some leaf area loss from insects or infections, especially given the ongoing drought of the past two years. (Recent rains in many areas have been helping, but probably will not be enough by themselves to fully end the drought for most locations.) Our Watering Trees and Shrubs page has guidance, if helpful.
If sawflies are the culprit and they begin to cause intolerable levels of damage, then you can easily squish them, wipe them off the foliage, or blast them off with a strong spray of plain water from a garden hose. (You could clip off individual leaves with a population of sawflies on them instead, but that would remove leaf tissue that's still functional and providing the tree with energy for later growth, so it's not the best approach.) Based on its current appearance, as long as nothing unrelated causes damage to roots or the top growth, we'd expect the tree to leaf-out normally next spring.
Miri
For now, just monitor the plant for new or worsening symptoms and consider surrounding the trunk base with a zone of mulch to keep weeds away that compete with the sapling's roots for moisture and nutrients. If you use mulch, a 2- to 3-inch layer is all that's needed, and don't mound it up against the trunk (keep the trunk exposed). If deer can access this area, we do recommend protecting the sapling with a wire mesh/fencing cage so they cannot browse the foliage or (as it gets a bit older) rub antlers on the trunk, which can cause serious or fatal damage to a young tree.
Monitoring the tree for watering needs will also help it to establish with less stress and to tolerate some leaf area loss from insects or infections, especially given the ongoing drought of the past two years. (Recent rains in many areas have been helping, but probably will not be enough by themselves to fully end the drought for most locations.) Our Watering Trees and Shrubs page has guidance, if helpful.
If sawflies are the culprit and they begin to cause intolerable levels of damage, then you can easily squish them, wipe them off the foliage, or blast them off with a strong spray of plain water from a garden hose. (You could clip off individual leaves with a population of sawflies on them instead, but that would remove leaf tissue that's still functional and providing the tree with energy for later growth, so it's not the best approach.) Based on its current appearance, as long as nothing unrelated causes damage to roots or the top growth, we'd expect the tree to leaf-out normally next spring.
Miri
