Backyard Orchard News
Bohart Museum Picnic Day: Bugging Out
They came. They saw. They bugged out. Who wouldn't, when you get an opportunity to pet a...
Entomologist and Bohart associate Jeff Smith introduces a crowd to Snuggles, a rose-haired tarantula. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Two-year-old Teddy Owens of Davis, held by his mother, Dina Owens, high-fives Snuggles, the rose-haired tarantula, held by entomologist and Bohart associate Jeff Smith. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Bohart associate Jeff Smith shows Snuggles, a rose-haired tarantula, to inquiring youngsters. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Quite a handful! Visitors at the Bohart Museum of Entomology's open house on Picnic Day watch Snuggles, a rose-haired tarantula. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Visitors check out the beaver/beetle display at the Bohart Museum of Entomology. In the foreground is Lynn Kimsey, museum director and UC Davis professor. At far left is undergraduate student Ivana Satre. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Bohart Museum director Lynn Kimsey smiles at the reaction of visitors to the beaver/beetle display. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
UC Davis entomology doctoral candidate Charlotte Herbert shows youngsters how scorpions fluoresce under ultraviolet light. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The bee display encompassed honey bees, bumble bees, sweat bees, sunflower bees and more. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Matt Forister: Melissa Blue Butterfly and Colonization of Alfalfa
Want to learn more about the Melissa blue butterfly and its colonization of alfalfa? UC Davis...
UC Davis alumnus Matt Forister, McMinn Professor of Biology at the University of Nevada, Reno, will present a seminar at UC Davis on Wednesday, April 25 on his work with understanding the colonization of alfalfa by the Melissa blue butterfly.
The Melissa blue butterfly, either Lycaeides melissa or Plebejus melissa, basking on an alfalfa plant. (Photo by Matt Forister)
Who Invited Bugs to the UC Davis Picnic Day?
Who invited bugs to the UC Davis Picnic Day? Well, UC Davis officials and the UC Davis Department...
Bohart Museum associate Wade Spencer with his desert hair scorpion, Celeste, poses with the mascot, "Hamburger Cow Patty." (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
UC Davis student Melissa Mongan (far left) who is majoring in community and regional development, checks out a walking stick. In back are Diego Rivera (center) and Lohit Garikipati. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
UC Davis student Valeed Aziz (left), who is majoring in neurology, physiology and behavior, admires a walking sticks. With him are Bohart associates Lohit Garikipati (center) and Diego Rivera. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
UC Davis students Bradyn O'Connor and Jacquelyn Shaff, both wildlife biology majors, get acquainted with an Australian leaf stick insect. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
UC Davis geography doctoral student, Carlos Beccera, and his wife Stefani Florez and their son Matias Becerra, 23 months old, get up close and personal with a desert hairy scorpion held by Wade Spencer. Beccera considered majoring in entomology but chose geography. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Don't look now, but mascot "Hamburger Cow Patty" has a visitor on her face--a Malaysian shield mantis. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Eye to eye with a praying mantis. The costumed character, "Hamburger Cow Patty," didn't mind a bit. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
You Won't Believe What You'll See at the Bohart Museum on Picnic Day
Take heed. The 104th annual UC Davis Picnic Day theme is “Where the Sun Shines.” The...
Entomology student and Bohart Museum associate Wade Spencer grimaces for the camera as he holds a beaver pelt and points to where a parasite lives. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Yes, this is where they live, says Wade Spencer. He's referring to Platypsyllus castoris, an ectoparasite on beavers in the perianal region. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Close-up of Platypsyllus castoris, an ectoparasite on beavers. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The IR-4 Project launched a bee friendly plant search page.
The IR-4 Project at Rutgers University is pleased to announce the launch of the Plant Search page on the Protecting Bees website. Users can search for pollinator attractive plants by zip code, bloom period, sun/light requirements, and/or pollinator attractiveness. Once the search is complete, users can download a printable list of select plants, compare pollinator information (limit of 5 plants), or get detailed information about the attractiveness data and links to the data sources.
This plant search tool is a necessary resource for anyone with an interest in protecting pollinators and growing plants. Planting pollinator attractive plants provides insects and animals with essential resources, while helping plants survive and flourish. All pollinator attractiveness information on Protecting Bees comes from reputable scientific studies or publications. New plants and pollinator information is constantly being added, so be sure to search Protecting Bees for attractive plants when planning for your next planting or when guiding others about pollinator beneficial gardens!
The website is sponsored in part by USDA-NIFA-SCRI. James Bethke's group (San Diego UC Cooperative Extension farm advisor specializing in nurseries and floriculture) and Christine Casey are UC contributors to the larger project's collaborative group.