Backyard Orchard News
Thank a Farmer, Thank a Beekeeper
You may have missed it, but today (Thursday, Oct. 12) is National Farmers' Day. The day originated...
Two honey bees want the same pomegranate blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A honey bee pollinating an apple blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A new beekeeper examines a frame during a UC Davis honey bee course at the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility. Extension apiculturist Elina Lastro Niño and her staff teach classes for the public. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
California Wild Fires Raging...but Life Cycles Go On...
As those horrendous wild fires continue to rage throughout California, as Cal Fire helicopters roar...
A Gulf Fritillary egg on the tendrils of the passionflower vine (Passiflora). (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A Gulf Fritillary caterpillar continues to munch the Passiflora leaves. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A newly eclosed Gulf Fritillary clings to its pupal case. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
In the eerie light of the smoke-choked sky and reddish sun, a newly eclosed Gulf Fritillary spreads its wings. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
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)