Backyard Orchard News
Christine Merlin and Monarchs: How They Use Their Circadian Clocks for Seasonal Migration
Did you know that monarch butterflies use a circadian clock to navigate to their overwintering...
Christine Merlin, shown here examining a monarch butterfly, will speak on "The Monarch Butterfly Circadian Clock: from Clockwork Mechanisms to Control of Seasonal Migration" on May 31 at UC Davis. (Texas A&M Photo)
Bumble Bees: Pollen Power in the Phacelia
Talk about pollen! The bumble bees, Bombus vandykei (as identified by Robbin Thorp, distinguished...
It's mine--move away! Two bumble bees, species Bombus vandykei, seek the same Phacelia blossom on the UC Davis central campus. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Check out the heavy load of pollen on this bumble bee, Bombus vandykei. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The Phacelia is a plant that native bees, including this native bumble bee, Bombus vandykei, love. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Saddle bags of pure gold? No, golden pollen carried by the Bombus vandykei. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Meet Big Red, the Flameskimmer
Big Red visited us for four consecutive days. The red flameskimmer dragonfly, Libellula saturata,...
A red flameskimmer, Libellula saturata, perches on a bamboo stake. Note the nesting earwigs and bees in the split stake. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A red flameskimmer, Libellula saturata, sparkles in the sun. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Helicopter? No, a red flameskimmer, Libellula saturata, glimmering in the sunlight. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A flameskimmer,Libellula saturata, in flight. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
She'll Speak on The World's Most Dangerous Animal
The world's most dangerous animal isn't the shark, wolf, lion, elephant, hippo, crocodile, tsetse...
This is the yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegptyi, which transmits dengue, Zika and other diseases. (CDC Photo)
This is the malaria mosquito, Anopheles gambiae. (Photo by Anthony Cornel, UC Davis)
Have You Seen Me? Can You Identify Me?
Have you seen me? Can you identify me? No, you're a skipper, but which one are you? The colorful...
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