Please send us photos of the tree so we can see what you may be dealing with.  We would like to see photos of the whole tree, around the base of the tree, and affected foliage. Also, let us know how you have cared for the tree, any construction damage, changes in soil grade, etc.

Marian

Attached are requested pics except base of tree.  I also noticed that a Carpinus near Ostrya has the same symptoms and will send separate request for that. Don't remember terminology for insect but there is a folded leaf that had a worm living inside which will show on Carpinus pic.

Here is the Carpinus with the insect "enclorsure". I crushed the "packet" to see the worm. Hopefully I did not kill a beneficial insect!!!

The black dots look like the spores of artillery fungus, so-named because it ejects its spores nearly 20 feet away. It is harmless in this instance and is not a plant pathogen. If it bothers you, next time you topdress the mulch you can switch to using cypress or large-grade pine bark nuggets - both are less conducive to fungal growth.

The leaf-webbing larva was probably a moth larva but we cannot determine its ID without an image of an intact insect. They are usually not pests and are good sources of food for foraging birds.

https://extension.psu.edu/artillery-fungus-in-mulch

https://hortnews.extension.iastate.edu/2016/09-02/artillery.html

Miri