Looks like wooly aphids to me.

any help for them? treat them like other aphids, with garlic or other spray? Most of the leaves on the shrub are destroyed and it's near to dying. I wonder if I should simply cut the shrub down, and hope the winter rains revive it - after treating it for whatever this is.

I've never used garlic for insect control, but aphids can be removed with sharp sprays of water. Cutting the plant back if badly infested is a good option.....be sure to clean up fallen debris.

Find out what kind of plant it is....that can be a very useful key to planning a preventative cultural program.

could it be anything else? I've looked at the pics of wooly aphid as suggested, but might there be another culprit?

And I"ll probably cut back the shrub severely. My neighbor says it's called one thing, lists of local plants show nothing like that name, and my gardening buddies here have no idea what it's called. Very odd, as usually there's a name for everything. I'll keep looking........

Take a good picture of the plant....one that shows the stems, leaves, and size. Try to do a better job of describing the flower. Then post the information in the Name That Plant Forum, here in the gardenweb.

As for your critter....yes, it could be something else. Perhaps another picture or two might help. Close-up and focused, if possible, and of the smaller ones.

Have you poked around to see what's under all that fluff? And what kind of damage are you seeing?