Those are lots of green aphids, which do move, although slowly. The white things on the leaves are the aphids cast off exoskeletons ....shed as the aphids grow.

I think that I might also see signs of spider mites.

A fairly strong spray of water can keep them at bay, if done frequently. Not so strong that you strip the foliage off.

Ok, that sounds manageable, thank you!

For the spider mites, what shows that? Is it the spots on the bark? Would insecticidal soap cover both things well?

Yes. Insecticidal soap works on mites, too.
The white spots on the stem looks like lenticles, or pores.

I 'think' that I see some debris hanging on invisible threads or in what might be webbing, but that is just speculation. Spider mites often construct their very fine webs from leaf to stem, in order to take advantage of the plants natural infractructure.

synthesis, rhizo_1 has a keen eye!

Tornado in my neighborhood yesterday, lost some roof shingles but didn't blow away the aphids, so I started spraying with insecticidal soap :)

As for the mites, I did go look and saw a couple of spiders, which I guess are actually spider mites. I did notice spider webs almost immediately after planted but thought that was a good thing, to have spiders to eat insects. But I guess if they're mites that's a different story.