Cottony maple leaf scale females are 3 to 4mm long and 2 to 4mm wide. They are slightly convex and are brown with a yellow-brown ridge down the back. The body is covered with flakes of clear wax. Their eggs are white to pale yellow and are meshed in a white, cottony ovisac which may be up to 5mm wide and 12mm long. Newly hatched nymphs are pale yellow or green and translucent. They closely adhere to the undersides of leaves and are easily overlooked.