In article
,
Amos Nomore wrote:

In article ,
Dan wrote:

Hi all,

Need some help with an issue with clethra alnifolia (aka sweet
pepperbush, aka summersweet). I keep the plants extremely
well-watered (they are next to a rain barrel) and they are in full
sun...thought I had found the perfect spot for them until this
happened.

Small 1/4" long black caterpillar wiping out the leaves of two new
shrubs I purchased 6 weeks ago. The caterpillars looks very similar
to the virburnum leaf beetle larvae that have decimated the highbush
cranberries around here (this is zone 5 microclimate in northwest NJ).
However, they are black instead of the whitish color of the VLB larva.

I wonder if they might be alder leaf beetle (Agelastica alni) larvae

http://tinyurl.com/28knbn3

Hmm, wrong photo, similar species. Try this

http://tinyurl.com/33fw89k