Backyard Orchard News
Black Friday: Bumble Bees and Blackberries
"Black Friday" means different things to each of us, but when I think of "Black Friday," I think of...
A bumble bee, Bombus vosnesenskii, nectaring on a blackberry blossom in Berkeley. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Taking flight, the yellow-faced bumble bee, Bombus vosnesenskii, seeks another blackberry blossom in Berkeley. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Happy Thanksgiving!
It's Thanksgiving Day, and what better day to stop and be thankful for not only family and friends,...
A Western tiger swallowtail (Papilio rutulus) nectaring on a butterfly bush (Buddleia davidii). (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
This gravid female Western tiger swallowtail (Papilio rutulus) can't get enough of a butterfly bush (Buddleia davidii). (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Syrphid Fly in Rock Purslane: When a House Is a Home
When a house is a home... Take the case of a syrphid fly, aka hover fly or flower fly. It's a cold...
A syrphid fly, tucked in the folds of a rock purslane, Calandrinia grandiflora, sips nectar. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The syrphid fly rotates its body to gather more nectar glean more sun. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The syprhid is just about ready to take flight. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A Glimpse of George Compere, a Pioneer in Biological Control
"George Compere." Non-entomologists may not recall his name, but entomologists--especially those...
The Bohart Museum of Entomology is featuring a memorial exhibit showcasing a biological control pioneer, George Compere (1858-1928).
Monarchs: You Can't Save Them All
Monarchs: you can't save them all. It was a dismal year in Vacaville (and other parts of...
A monarch chrysalis that didn't make it. This image was taken Sept. 15. Said Art Shapiro of UC Davis: "The intersegmental membranes are showing. Whatever caused that, it opens the door to severe water loss, so the pupa will probably die." (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
This is what the non-viable monarch chrysalis looked like on Oct. 10. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Lynn Epstein, UC Davis emeritus professor of plant pathology, captured this image of the monarch chrysalis on Nov. 2 with a Leica DVM6 microscope.
Monarchs overwintering at Natural Bridges State Park on Nov. 14, 2016. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)