Spider mites, thrips and Chilli Thrips can all cause similar damage. They suck out the sap and thrips rasp the growing tissues causing the distortion of the leaf as it grows. You will see the damage on the new growth as that is the softest, most tender with the highest concentration of nutrients making it the perfect target to eat.

Thanks so much, @roseseek. I didn't see any of the residue I've seen in the past with spidermites (on tomatoes)....and after looking at the ag extension sites I was wondering if it might be thrips but being so inexperienced it was hard for me to tell. How do you prefer to approach damage like this? I appreciate your opinion. I've been fortunate to learn so much from this forum over the past few months, thanks to the kindness of folks like you.

I've done some additional reading and it looks like I should remove all damaged foliage (and seal in a bag) and then give a water spray to knock off any remaining insects. We're supposed to have rain for the next 3 days (after weeks of abnormal sun) so it doesn't seem like it would be effective for me to spray with a soap/neem oil/water mixture until after the rain passes. I hope the first two steps (damaged leaf removal and water spray) keep it from becoming a huge problem before our rain passes.

Thanks again, @roseseek! I don't have to worry about frying at this time of year, but I also prefer not to spray if in dont have to. I've used neem oil on ocassion (not even every year) when water spray hasnt been enough for powdery mildew. I haven't used anything else. I don't want to hurt the other critters in my garden. (I don't have sweet pups who would bring in oils...what another good reason not to spray!)

It's reassuring to hear that removing the damaged foliage and water spraying may be enough. Now that our usual rainy cool weather has returned, that may help too.

My usual approach to pests is squishing (aphids, tomato hornworms, leaf miners) but thrips seem too small for that approach to work.

Thanks so much for responding and sharing your experience! It really did help!

@librarian_gardner_8b_pnw you're welcome! Good luck! I hope you're able to get them under control as quickly and easily as possible!