Backyard Orchard News
This Bio Boot Camp Is Just for Teens
Teenagers who dig bugs and wildlife biology will love this! The UC Davis Bohart Museum of...
The 2011 UC Davis Bio Boot Camp featured a tour of the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility on Bee Biology Road. Here the campers crowd around beekeeper Elizabeth Frost as she opens the hive. Frost is now the education officer for honey bees at the Department of Primary Industries, New South Wales. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
UC Berkeley's Sagehen Field Station, near Truckee, is a favorite of scientists. The UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology hosted a faculty/graduate student retreat there Friday, Oct. 14 through Sunday, Oct. 16. Here Professor Phil Ward (far left) searches for ants. (Photo by Sandy Olkowski)
Not a Good Day for the Jumping Spider
Sometimes you get lucky. Sometimes you go hungry. Take the case of the huge jumping spider (a...
A honey bee narrowly avoids the outstretched jumping spider, a Phidippus audax. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Oops, wrong direction! The jumping spider,Phidippus audax, is looking elsewhere as a bee arrives on the scene. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The jumping spider, Phidippus audax, climbs its mountain and lurks. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The jumping spider, Phidippus audax, exits its summit, the Spanish lavender. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Helicoptering in on the Spanish Lavender
If you like writing with light (photography), then you'll probably love capturing images of honey...
A honey bee nectaring on Spanish lavender. This was taken with a Nikon D500 and a 200mm macro lens. Settings: ISO 3200, f-stop 13, and shutter speed of 1/640 of a second. No flash. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Spinning wings: Honey bees nectaring on Spanish lavender. This photo was taken with a Nikon D500, 200mm macro lens. Settings: ISO 3200; f-stop, 13; and shutter speed of 1/640 of a second. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Check out the red tongue (proboscis) as the honey bee sips nectar from a Spanish lavender. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Honey bee cleaning her tongue, just before heading for more nectar from the Spanish lavender. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A Summit to Save the Butterflies
Let's wing it, they said. And they did. But this event wasn't "winged"; it was well planned and...
Tora Rocha (left), founder of the Pollinator Posse of Oakland (soon to be statewide), and Mia Monroe, coordinator of the Xerces Society's Western Monarch Thanksgiving Count, address the crowd. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Entomologist/author Sally "Sal" Levinson speaks to the crowd. On the panel (from left) are Mia Monroe of the Xerces Society, Amber Hasselbring of San Francisco's Nature in the City, and Tora Rocha of the Pollinator Posse. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
UC Master Gardener Suzanne Clarke of Sonoma County urges "Plant milkweed and the monarchs will come." (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A hand shoots up to ask a question. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Butterflies ruled at the Butterfly Summit. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
UC ANR Kearney Agricultural Research and Extension Center (KARE) helps students and teachers explore healthy food choices and learn how food is grown.
In March, Kings County has a Farm Day where students and teachers explore healthy food choices, learn how food is grown, interact with farm animals, and build an increased awareness of how agriculture helps our local community and economy. This is achieved by the Kings County Farm Bureau, The Kings County Office of Education and the Kings Fairgrounds partnering to bring the students and presenters together at the Fairgrounds. On March 16, 2017, over 2400 third-graders and 100 teachers and chaperones from 32 schools, as well as presenters for 60 stations attended Farm Day. With the generous donations from The Plant Food People, Greenheart Farms, and awesome volunteers, KARE provided all attendees with short presentations on what it takes to be a healthy plant and what it takes to be a healthy person, followed immediately by workshops where attendees planted leaf lettuce transplants to take home and enjoy.
Fresno County had Farm and Nutrition Day on March 17, 2017, allowing over 4000 third-grade students, teachers, and chaperones from 38 schools experience over 55 interactive presentations at the Big Fresno Fair grounds. Experiential workshops, presentations and displays helped increase participant awareness of agriculture as well as the benefits of making healthy choices. Fresno County Farm Bureau organized the event with the help of several sponsors, volunteers and presenter groups. Again with the generous donations from The Plant Food People, Greenheart Farms, and awesome volunteers, KARE provided all attendees with short presentations on what it takes to be a healthy plant and what it takes to be a healthy person, followed immediately by workshops where attendees planted leaf lettuce transplants to take home and enjoy.
At both events, other UC ANR programs, like 4-H, master gardeners, food and nutrition, small farms advisors, etc., from Kings and Fresno counties also had animals and presentations for the attendees.
Click here to see a Fresno Bee article.