Most of the studies on differential intensities of herbivory focus on interspecific comparisons. For this reason, there are few analyses of herbivory intensity among community or habitat-types. Comparisons between species in different communities are confounded by species-specific differences, making it difficult to identify community-based variation. A better way to study variation in herbivory among communities is through the use of one species whose range spans several community-types. For this study, I addressed the question of community-based variation in the intensity of herbivory in the madrone tree (Arbutus menziesii). I quantified the intensity of herbivory in broadleaf evergreen forest, chaparral, and open woodland at the Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve in northern California. This study allowed me to determine if madrone trees are subject to different levels of herbivory depending upon their habitat-type. If the intensity of herbivory does vary among communities, what factors, abiotic and biotic, might account for such variation? In addition, how does intensity of herbivory vary with leaf age?