My guess is rose slugs. Had that problem last year, but almost none this year.

The good news is that a predator (I forget what it is) will probably come along after a couple weeks and help you out. Until then, the leaves do look unsightly, don't they!

What I did was to go out early in the morning and check the edges of the leaves in the newly damaged areas--and sometimes along the "neck" of newly forming buds. At first, I had to stare a lot at each individual leaf before I would see those green creatures who seem to shape their bodies exactly to the shape of the leaf--which is why they are hard to see. Then I would pull them off and toss them in the grass--they won't make it back to the rose. (Some gutsy folks actually squish them with their fingers.) After some practice, my eyes got used to focusing in on the minute details on the leaves and it became relatively easy to spot the critters--sometimes even as I was just approaching the plant.

In case you haven't actually seen a rose slug, it looks like a tiny mini-caterpillar, green worm-like thing.

Good luck.

Kate

I squish 'em.
They POP. :-)

They are very, VERY teeny, and hard to spot.

Jeri

I've seen two kinds out here, but only one kind is very common in my garden: the European rose slug. It eats one side of the leaflet, leaving a thin, translucent surface layer intact. IIRC, the other two kinds are larger, one a lot larger, like caterpillar size.

Here is a link that might be useful: Damage of the European Rose Slug

Thanks so much for the info! The pic posted by Berndoodle looks exactly like my roses! I have a problem with regular slugs in my vegetable garden and have had success catching them with beer. Will that work for the rose slug too or is the only option catching them by hand? I want to stay organic.

No. They're not actual "slugs," and beer doesn't tempt them.
You must spray with something, or remove them by hand.
Removing them by hand is actually the easiest and most dependable approach.

It's pretty easy to do. The hardest part is spotting them.
I noticed this morning that one had been at a potted 'Sweet Chariot' on my patio.
I found the little devil, and squished him, and I have to say that he was the teeniest rose slug I've seen.
It was almost as tho my Miniature Rose had gotten itself a Miniature Pest.
Examine all leaves with any hint of damage -- there may be several of them.
Go back and check again daily for a few days until you stop finding new damage.

Jeri

I'm brand new to rose gardening. I rescued some neglected bushes when we moved to our new coastal home. There are lots of blooms, but have an invasion of the "slugs". Thanks for the photo... I've been checking in the mornings and squishing them. There is another pest. Fuzzy, golden spots on the undersides of leaves. Is this rust? What to do?