Backyard Orchard News
A Reason Why Bumble Bee Population Is Declining
The news is disturbing but not unexpected. Scientists are linking global climate change to one...
A yellow-faced bumble bee, Bombus vosnesenskii, nectaring on Salvia 'Indigo Spires' in Kate Frey's pollinator garden at the Sonoma Cornerstone. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Hungry bumble bee, a queen Bombus vosnesenskii, can't get enough of the nectar from the salvia. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Honey bee heads for the same plant, Salvia 'Indigo Spires,' in Kate Frey's pollinator gardener at the Sonoma Cornerstone. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Me, too! Another another bee wants a share of the food--the sweet nectar from Salvia 'Indigo Spires.' (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
If You Fuse Art With Science, This Is for You!
If you fuse art with science, this is for you. Like to draw, paint, or photograph insects? Or...
Entomologist-artist Diane Ullman, UC Davis professor of entomology, looks over insect art with fellow UC Davis faculty affiliate Steve Seybold, research entomologist with the Pacific Southwest Research Station, U.S. Department of Food and Agriculture. The occasion: a show to showcase the work of Ullman's students in 2015 in Entomology 1. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A red flameskimmer dragonfly (Libellula saturata) perches on a bamboo stake in Vacaville, Calif. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Insect Wedding Photography: When Three's a Crowd
So there they were, the bride and groom, culminating their vows. We spotted them in Vacaville,...
Insect wedding photography on the passion flower vine: male and female Gulf Fritillaries, Agraulis vanillae. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
When two's company and three's a crowd: a male Gulf Fritillary zeroes in on the mating pair. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Three is still a crowd. The two Gulf Frits have an univited guest. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Three Gulf Fritillaries: two males and a female. One is an uninvited guest. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
UC Davis Arboretum Plant Sale: Think Pollinators!
Think bees. Think butterflies. Think plants that will attract them. The UC Davis Arboretum and...
A black-faced bumble bee, Bombus californicus, forages on Purple Ginny salvia (sage). Sages are popular at the UC Davis Arboretum Plant Sales.(Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A Western tiger swallowtail, Papilio rutulus, sips nectars from a butterfly bush, Buddleia davidii. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A pollen-packing honey bee heads for rock purslane, Calandrinia grandiflora. This is one of the plants available at the UC Davis Arboretum Plant Sale on Oct. 7. The plant yields red pollen. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Coming Oct. 7: A Tour of Kate Frey's Bee-utiful Garden
"When's the next public tour of Kate Frey's garden?" That's a question we're often asked and now...
This is the Hopland home of Kate and Ben Frey, featuring gardens by Kate and rustic structures and whimsical art by Ben. (Photo by Kate Frey)
A bumble bee and honey bee share teasel in the Frey gardens. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
An inviting path in the Frey gardens. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)