Backyard Orchard News
A B-Day Celebration for Robbin Thorp at the Bohart Museum of Entomology
It was "b-day" today at The Bohart Museum of Entomology in honor of longtime Bohart associate...
Tabatha Yang, education and outreach coordinator for the Bohart Museum of Entomology, serves dessert at Robbin Thorp's birthday celebration while the distinguished emeritus professor reads the birthday wishes. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
UC Davis doctoral student Charlotte Herbert Alberts created the longhorned bees on Robbin Thorp's card--putting bees in the "double b's of his name. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Robbin Thorp is the co-author of two books that line the gift shop of the Bohart Museum of Entomology: Bumble Bees of California: An Identification Guide (2014, Princeton University Press) and California Bees and Blooms: A Guide for Gardeners and Naturalists (2014, Heyday Books). (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Monarch Madness: Thanks, Monarch Mama!
Thar's gold in them thar hills? Probably not. But thar's definitely gold in that there pollinator...
A hungry monarch caterpillar chewing on a milkweed stem this morning in a Vacaville pollinator garden. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The monarch caterpillar swirls to get the best angle. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The long and short of it--a monarch caterpillar crawls on a stem to its next dining spot. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Even seed pods are fair game for hungry monarch caterpillars. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Close-up of a monarch caterpillar, taken with a Canon MPE-65mm lens. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Art Shapiro: Worst Monarch Season Ever, But Best MIlkweed Season Ever
This year ranks as the worst monarch season he's ever seen in California. But...this year ranks as...
A female monarch butterfly nectaring in a Vacaville pollinator garden. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Art Shapiro, UC Davis distinguished professor of evolution and ecology, fields questions at the May 26 Butterfly Summit, held at Annie's Annuals and Perennials, Richmond. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Once Upon a Praying Mantis...
The three men pause in front of the Kate Frey Pollinator Garden at the Sonoma Cornerstone and begin...
A female praying mantis, Mantis religiosa (as identified by praying mantis expert and UC Davis student Lohit Garikipati) is camouflaged in the Kate Frey Pollinator Garden, Sonoma Cornerstone. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
"Whoa! No pictures!" The female mantis raises her spiked leg. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
"I said no pictures!" The mantis covers her head with a spiked foreleg. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A sign informs visitors what the Kate Frey Pollinator Garden at Sonoma Cornerstone is all about. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A visitor takes images of the Kate Frey Pollinator Garden, Sonoma Cornerstone. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Meet Wendy Mather of California Master Beekeeper Program
Meet Wendy Mather, program manager of California Master Beekeeper Program (CAMBP) Bees are her...
Wendy Mather, program manager of the California Master Beekeeper Program, holds a frame at the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Wendy Mather, program manager of the California Master Beekeeper Program, at her office in the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Wendy Mather talks bees with Amador County students who signed up for a UC Davis Pollination Education Program. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)