At first I thought it was box blight, but then decided it wasn't: mind you, it took cutting out a chunk of the hedge to work out. It is, rather, damage caused by box-tree moth caterpillar and the tiny pests did their terrible work in no more than a week. I couldn't see any of the culprits themselves, but that's who they are. At the moment the more important box hedges, the ones that form 'The Maze' (not a very difficult maze) are not very affected and I do hope the chemical treatment will see the caterpillars off. By the winter they are all pupating so that may be a time for another blitz.Conversely the oak tree which I am concerned about on an ongoing basis seems to have quite good leaf coverage this year after all. It's right beside the box hedges and offers a contrast to their current poorliness.
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