My advice would be taking samples of the leaves to a nursery. Not the plants dept at a big box store but a real nursery where the employees know about plants. Your member page mentions drainage problems, which is something rhodies can't tolerate. They must have good drainage. The peeling stems and trunks is probably normal. White and yellow bugs under the leaves could be aphids but usually rhodies aren't pestered by bugs much. Blotches could be any of a number of things - root rot, sunburn, fungal or bacterial diseases. You need an expert looking at the symptoms in person. Different parts of WA have different disease issues so without specifics I can't say much more. But taking them to a person would be best.

I have been enlighted on uploading & I THINK I am posting the pictures of problems below....

{{gwi:392071}}

{{gwi:392072}}

{{gwi:392078}}

{{gwi:392079}}

This is a shot after I took out all the dead stuff I could reach.
{{gwi:392081}}

There was nothing in this cocoon, but I wonder what WAS in there & how do I stop it from coming back?
{{gwi:392082}}

I know NOTHING, less than nothing about gardening, but I am smart, a quick study & I want to learn. I would appreciate any help that you all would be good enough to teach me.

The browning on the leaf edges in your first photo looks like drought. Your second photo is certainly the most colorful rhododendron leaf I've seen...but nothing I recognize.

It's not clear to me what the insects are, but I suspect you may have more than one problem to address, cultural contitions (water) and what else, I'm not sure. I think the best thing for you to do is take a sample leaf for a visual ID as suggested earlier. I don't know exactly where you are...Seattle area, Wells in Medina has a very experienced staff (I was there just yesterday)but any full service nursery should be able to help. You can also type the name of your county, followed by extension agent office, into a search engine like google and come up with your closest extension office where they would also be able to examine a sample from your plant. Try to include one of the insects, put the leaf in a zip lock sandwich bag. And let us know....

Top might be mildew, this is very common here. Next looks like something dripping on the plant, plastic greenhouses for example leave similar deposits (but whitish) on plants held within them. Bugs are out of focus but otherwise look familiar. Try PNW Disease Control Handbook and PNW Insect Control Handbook, both are online. If searching PNW Disease Control doesn't work try Oregon State University Online Guide to Plant Diseases, that or a similar phrase should bring it up.

Ron,

Thanks for the advice. Am I to 'search' online to locate these names or is there a central website I could use somewhere?

Thanks