What's this shrub, and should I be concerned about the yellow splotches? [SOLVED - aucuba japonica]
Central VA, and I believe this particular species is fairly common in my neighborhood. I've tried searching the internet, but the top results are blog articles with scant imagery such as this article on plantvirginianatives.org.
Secondary question: Note the yellow splotches on the leaves—other plants of the same species in my neighborhood also have the yellow splotches—are they merely seasonal or could they indicate an issue w/ the health of the plant?
EDIT: Looks like aucuba japonica (Wikipedia), and apparently the yellow splotches are a feature, not a bug, known as variegation.
The bot was correct for once. Japanese aucuba. The spots are variegation which is typical for the variety and nothing to worry about.
Automatic identification via PlantNet summary
Most likely match: Aucuba japonica Thunb.
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Ha!
It could be a Gold Dust Croton or some similar variety. They're commonly sold at big box stores across the US.