All my leaves are being chewed off by a bug?

[tomgun]

Screenshot 2025-07-02 at 8.42.01 PM.png (147.83 KiB) Viewed 10804 times

Screenshot 2025-07-02 at 8.42.18 PM.png (320.2 KiB) Viewed 10804 times

The ground around my Giant Timber, Robert Young, and some other varieties is being carpeted by leaves, green in the morning and dry in a few hours. I'm sorry I can't figure out how to reduce and image - I've done it years ago but have since become dumberer.
The upper tiny branches are becoming completely bare.
Looking closely, the tiny leaf stems are chewed up the middle and chewed off the main small stem. The leaves are not eaten at all.
I find zero answers on the web. There are no webs, they are not being sucked dry, etc. Something is chewing just the tiny leaf stems.
I have been going crazy looking for something, anything. At first I thought even mice but the chewing is much to small for the smallest mouse.
I'm getting so frustrated, I am considering getting rid of all my 20+ varieties and switching to citrus.
Any ideas? The only help the web gives is bugs that leave webs or suck the leaves or eat the shoots or .....pandas.

Thank you in advance,
Tom

[dependable]

That's different. I don't know of any critter that would do that around here, are there locusts in your area, or some kind of big beetle? Maybe you could point a close focus camera on it and see if you can spy the culprit(s).

[tomgun]

The damage is so extensive that I would have seen anything the size of a grasshopper, locust, cricket, caterpillar, etc.

I sprayed horticultural organic insecticide, soap, neem oil on the remaining leaves, hoping at least to make it not taste good. I don’t know if that is what slowed down the leaf drop or it was just too few leaves left.

I’ll see if this continues next year with the new leaves. If it does, I’m taking it all out and planting citrus.

Still baffled.